The scheduled meeting between organised labour centre and the federal government over fuel subsidy palliatives was stalled on Friday as officials of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) stormed out of the venue of the meeting at the State House, Abuja.
The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, had led his delegation to the Chief of Staff’s office, venue of the meeting of the Presidential Steering Committee on Subsidy Palliatives at about 5pm but almost immediately left the venue.
The Steering Committee meeting had met with the government delegation on Wednesday where the two parties agreed to reconvene on Friday to get brief from the three subcommittees set up to look into various demands.
The Steering Committee was set up by the government to come up with palliatives that would cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the workers.
But the meeting could not proceed because, according to some members of the Steering Committee, quorum was not formed as government officialswere not on ground to meet with the labourleaders.
The labour union accused the federal government of using the meetings as a pretext to deceive Nigerians.
A source at the meeting confirmed that three subcommittees, the Mass Transit, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Cash transfer subcommittees, were supposed to be present to brief the Steering Committee on the measures put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the workers.
But labour claimed that top government officials,who are members of the subcommittees were nowhere to be found.
A concerned member of the Steering Committee from labour who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “They are not prepared for the meeting. That’s the truth,” maintaining that the government representatives had insisted that the meeting should proceed even though no quorum was formed.”
He further said, “They are using cover to deceive Nigerians. There are supposed to be three subcommittees, mass transit subcommittee, the CNG, and the cash transfer, to brief us, the steering committee but government was not prepared for the meeting.
“In their introductory remarks they made excuses and they wanted the meeting to continue, the meeting did not form a quorum. We are a people that operate on the basis of process. So, if there’s no quorum in a meeting what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum.
“There was nobody to meet with. The Chief of Staff was not there, they are taking us like small children.”
It was, however, gathered that the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had earlier waited for the labour delegation with other members of the team at his Conference Hall.
He later stepped out to attend to other official matters in the President’s office while other members of the government team were waiting for the organised labour to arrive
It was gathered that the organised labour delegation from the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Trade Union Congress was delayed at the State House entrance gate otherwise known as Mopol gate for clearance.
Information has it that the names of the labour delegation were not sent to the gate for clearance which led to their being delayed for the meeting.
In fact, one of the leaders of the labour delegation had lamented to newsmen, “We were detained at the gate.”
The botched meeting would have been the fourth in the series of meetings they have held since the implementation of the petroleum subsidy removal.
It was to be a continuation of the previous meetings over the initial increase of the pump price of petroleum to N520 per litre.
The organized labour has already scheduled a nationwide protest for August 2 to press home their demands over the petroleum subsidy removal.
The last meeting of the steering committee held last Wednesday but government representatives were
unable to convince the labour leaders to shelve their plan for the action.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the NLC President, Comrade Ajaero had insisted: “We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we’re commencing protests from August 2nd.”
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
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