Ahead of the scheduled meeting between the Federal Government and the organized labor, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asserted that the government must meet its demands to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal. The union warned that it would not hesitate to call for industrial action, noting that it had only suspended its planned strike.
The NLC highlighted that the high cost of fuel was causing unbearable hardship for Nigerians, emphasizing that the government must act swiftly to provide palliatives. The NLC further expressed its expectation for an increase in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N150,000.
On June 5, 2023, the Federal Government and labor unions held a meeting, resolving to reconvene on June 19 to establish an implementation framework for the resolutions reached. Femi Gbajabiamila, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President, led the government side in the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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According to Gbajabiamila, the June 5 meeting reached a seven-point resolution to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal on Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) for Nigerians. The resolutions included the establishment of a joint committee comprising the Federal Government, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the NLC to review wage increase proposals, as well as the inclusion of low-income earners in the World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme.
The revival of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion program, agreed upon with labor centers in 2021, was also emphasized.
When contacted for comment on the expectations of labor for the upcoming meeting, the Vice President of the NLC, Adewale Adeyanju, highlighted the numerous issues presented by labor unions. He stressed that the government should not act dismissively, stating, “There are a lot of things that labor has been putting before the government.
The refineries need to be revamped. We cannot continue to import refined petroleum products and be spending on subsidies all the time. Labor has its set of demands, and by the time we meet with the government tomorrow, we will list them out again.”
In response to a question regarding the actions the NLC would take if the government fails to meet their demands, considering the challenges faced by Nigerians due to the subsidy removal, Adeyanju replied, “You know we only suspended our strike as a result of the need to meet on this.”
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