Nigeria’s Federal Government has told organised labour made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria that the allegation that it doesn’t keep to it’s promises is not true, affirming that it never reneges on its promises.
It has also told the two labour centers that it was not in the interest of the nation for them to embark on strike and therefore appealed that they should come for a round table discussion in order to arrive at amicable resolutions of any perceived differences.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the plea on Thursday while reacting to the threat by the organised labour to go on strike over government’s alleged failure to honour agreements it entered with the unions and the hardship people are passing through.
The NLC and TUC had on Thursday issued a 14-day nationwide strike notice to the federal government over the worsening suffering in the country and the non-implementation of 16-point agreement entered into on October 2, 2023.
Reacting to the threat to embark on strike, Minister of Information and National Orientation said, “Well, we appeal with labour to always see reason with the government. It is not in government’s interest for the labour to continue to go on strike.
“We appeal with labour, let them come again, around the table to continue to have engagements and conversations around whatever gray areas they think they have in some of these agreements that have already been signed.”
Reminded that labour accused the government of being in the habit of not keeping to agreements with unions, Idris said, “No, I think government keeps its promises. If there are other things that they (NLC, TUC) think they are concerned about, I think that they will sit down with government and government is ever ready to listen to labour so that we can have an amicable resolution to all these.”
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
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