How FG Averted Strike with 15-Point Deal with NLC, TUC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have suspended the indefinite strike that was supposed to commence on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

The suspension came after a 15-point memorandum of understanding was signed with the Federal Government on Monday night.

The meeting was the second one in 24 hours and was aimed at resolving the dispute arising from the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government and the consequent hike in the price of the product.

According to the memorandum of understanding, some of the key agreements reached include:

1. A wage award of N35,000 for all Federal Government workers starting from September, pending the enactment of a new national minimum wage.
2. A suspension of VAT on Diesel for six months from October, 2023 to reduce the cost of transportation and production.
3. A provision of N100 billion for high capacity CNG buses for mass transit and 55,000 CNG conversion kits for auto gas conversion programme, with a pilot across 10 campuses nationwide by November.
4. Various tax incentives for the private sector and the general public, such as tax rebates, tax holidays and tax exemptions.
5. A resolution of the leadership crises in the NURTW and RTEAN in line with relevant ILO Conventions and Nigerian Labour Acts by or before October 13.
6. A referral of the issue of outstanding salaries and wages of tertiary education workers in federal-owned institutions to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for further engagement.
7. A payment of N25,000 per month for three months from October, 2023 to 15 million households, including vulnerable pensioners, as part of the social intervention programme to cushion the effects of the economic hardship.
8. An increase in the initiatives on subsidized distribution of fertilizers to farmers across the country to boost agricultural production and food security.
9. An urge to state governments through the National Economic Council and Governors Forum to implement wage award for their workers and also consider local government and private sector workers.
10. A provision of funds as announced by the President on August 1 broadcast to the nation for micro and small enterprises development to support entrepreneurship and innovation among Nigerians.
11. A joint visitation to the refineries to ascertain their rehabilitation status.
12. A commitment to abide by social dialogue in all future engagements.
13. The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.
14. This Memorandum shall be filed with the relevant Court of competent jurisdiction within one (1) week as consent judgment by the Federal Government.

The NLC and TUC expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and called off the strike action. They thanked Nigerians for their support and solidarity and urged them to remain vigilant and patriotic. They also appealed to the Federal Government to ensure timely implementation of all the agreements reached.

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