On the evening of June 5, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) made the decision to suspend their planned strike slated for Wednesday, June 7. The announcement came after a meeting between representatives of the Federal Government and the Organised Labour at the Presidential Villa on Monday night, focusing on the removal of fuel subsidy.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President, conveyed the outcome of the meeting to State House correspondents. Reading from a communique, he revealed that an agreement had been reached between the NLC, TUC, and the team established by President Bola Tinubu to address the concerns arising from the subsidy removal.
As per the agreement, a joint committee comprising the Federal Government, TUC, and NLC would be established to review any wage increase or award proposal, while establishing a framework and timeline for its implementation. Additionally, the World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme would be reviewed to consider including low-income earners in the program.
Other agreements included reviving the CNG conversion program that was initially agreed upon with Labour centers in 2021, resolving issues hindering effective delivery in the education sector, establishing a framework for the completion of the nation’s refineries’ rehabilitation, and providing a framework for road maintenance and the expansion of rail networks across the country. The joint committee would assess all other demands put forth by the TUC to the Federal Government.
Consequently, the parties reached the following resolutions: the NLC agreed to immediately suspend the strike notice to allow for further consultations, while the TUC and NLC would continue their ongoing engagements with the Federal Government to finalize the aforementioned resolutions. Furthermore, a meeting between the Labour Centres and the Federal Government was scheduled for June 19, 2023, to agree upon an implementation framework.
