The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has decided to postpone its planned 30-day indefinite strike, which was set to commence on Tuesday.
The decision was reached after more than five hours of discussions between the Federal Government and Labour at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
As part of the resolutions, a minimum wage committee will be established within one month from the agreement’s date. The Federal Government has also committed to allocating N100 billion for high-capacity Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses for mass transit in Nigeria. Additionally, there will be an initial provision of 55,000 CNG conversion kits to initiate an auto gas conversion program, along with the development of state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide.
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Furthermore, the Federal Government plans to implement tax incentive measures for the private sector and the general public. It has confirmed its earlier approval of a wage award of N35,000 for all Federal Government workers from September onwards, pending the signing of a new national minimum wage into law. The state governments and local governments are encouraged to implement similar wage awards for their workers.
Regarding the leadership crisis within the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the purported proscription of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, the Federal Government has committed to resolving labor issues in accordance with international labor conventions and Nigerian labor laws, aiming for a resolution by or before October 13.
Outstanding salaries and wages of tertiary education workers in Federal Government-owned educational institutions will be addressed through further engagement with the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The Federal Government also pledged to enhance initiatives for subsidized fertilizer distribution to farmers across the country.
A joint visitation to the refineries will be conducted to assess their rehabilitation status, and all parties involved commit to adhering to the principles of social dialogue in future engagements.
Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) include NLC President Joe Ajaero, President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria Festus Osifo, TUC’s Secretary-General Nuhu Toro, Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, and Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris.
In response to the developments, Joe Ajaero cautioned that if the agreements are not implemented, the option of a strike may be revisited, emphasizing that the fuel subsidy removal impacts all Nigerians, including those in the states and the private sector.
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