NLC, TUC Suspend Strike for 30 Days After Reaching Agreement With FG
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called off the indefinite strike that was scheduled to start on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
The decision was made after a marathon meeting with the Federal Government on Monday, where several issues were resolved.
The meeting was convened to avert the strike that was triggered by the withdrawal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government and the consequent increase in the price of the product. The meeting resulted in a memorandum of understanding that was signed by representatives of both parties.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the Federal Government agreed to grant a wage award of N35,000 to all Federal Government workers beginning from September, pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to be signed into law. A minimum wage committee shall also be inaugurated within one month from the date of the agreement.
The Federal Government also agreed to suspend the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Diesel for six months starting from October, 2023. This is expected to reduce the cost of transportation and production for businesses and consumers.
Furthermore, the Federal Government pledged to allocate N100 billion for the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria. The government also plans to provide 55,000 CNG conversion kits to kick start an auto gas conversion programme, while work is ongoing on state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide. The rollout aims to commence by November with pilots across 10 campuses nationwide.
The Federal Government also promised to implement various tax incentive measures for the private sector and the general public. These include tax rebates, tax holidays and tax exemptions for certain categories of businesses and individuals.
On the leadership crises rocking the NURTW and the purported proscription of RTEAN, the Federal Government committed to handling labour matters in line with relevant ILO Conventions and Nigerian Labour Acts. A resolution of the ongoing impasse is expected by or before October 13.
The issue of outstanding salaries and wages of tertiary education workers in federal-owned educational institutions was referred to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for further engagement.
The Federal Government also committed to pay N25,000 per month for three months starting from October, 2023 to 15 million households, including vulnerable pensioners. This is part of the social intervention programme of the government to cushion the effects of the economic hardship.
The Federal Government also pledged to increase its initiatives on subsidized distribution of fertilizers to farmers across the country. This is aimed at boosting agricultural production and food security.
The Federal Government also urged state governments through the National Economic Council and Governors Forum to implement wage award for their workers. Similar consideration should also be given to local government and private sector workers.
The Federal Government also committed to providing funds as announced by the President on August 1 broadcast to the nation for micro and small enterprises development. This is intended to support entrepreneurship and innovation among Nigerians.
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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