There is no agreement with FG to end the strike. The proposed indefinite strike was scheduled to begin on October 3, but the Nigerian Labor Congress, or NLC, denied making any arrangements with the federal government to put an end to it on Thursday.
Recall that on Tuesday, the National Labor Council (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) declared that the workers’ strike would last indefinitely since the government had not provided any mitigations for the effects of eliminating the fuel subsidy.
Some media sites quoted Mr. Olajide Oshundun, the Director of Press for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as saying that the government and organized labor had come to an agreement to postpone the strike.
Even though Oshundun later denied making such allegations, the NLC said that there was no agreement at all and that neither the government nor the union had been invited to a meeting to discuss the planned strike.
In a statement released by Benson Upah, the NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, the organization stated: “We have been made aware of the press release made by Mr. Olajide Oshundun, Director of Press, Ministry of Labour and Employment, regarding our proposed strike action and the illegal occupation of the National Union of Road Transport Workers secretariat. We observe several contradictions.
As a result, we feel the need to provide clarifications. First off, there is no agreement in place between us and the administration to halt the planned strike action. We also don’t have a time frame for a meeting with the government that might result in the strike’s suspension.
“While we don’t wish to minimize or diminish the honorable Minister of Labor and Employment’s position, this issue is outside the purview of the Ministry. When we had our most recent meeting, they ought to have understood this.
“Secondly, while we recognize the important role that the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Barrister Simon Lalong, played in securing the release of the National Union of Road Transport Workers executives from their wrongful and illegal detention by the police, we object to the Ministry’s description of these executives as factional leaders.
“They were duly elected to their positions. We still feel it important to urge the police and those responsible for their troubles to stop their heinous and dishonorable behavior. Retrace your steps is the advice given to them.
“We should fight the urge or temptation for impunity if democracy is to have any value for us. There has been enough.
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