Labour Union Threatens Nationwide Strike as Government Seeks More Time for Agreement Implementation
The federal government has stated that some of the agreements reached with organised labour during the October 2023 negotiation meeting are not immediately implementable.
One of the agreements, involving the establishment of conversion centres for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), is said to require more time before it can be realized, as the committee handling it has made significant progress but needs additional time.
Following a 16-point agreement reached on October 2, 2023, between leaders of the organised labour and government representatives, the Memorandum of Understanding aimed to address the hardships caused by fuel subsidy removal and find lasting solutions to issues like the devaluation of the naira, inflation, and insecurity.
However, members of the organised labour expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the agreements and threatened to commence a nationwide strike within 14 days, starting from February 9, 2024, if the agreements were not implemented.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, explained that implementing all the agreements simultaneously was not feasible. She urged labour leaders to be patient, emphasizing that some agreements could take months to be fulfilled. She assured that progress had been made, particularly with the CNG initiative, which is an ongoing process.
Onyejeocha revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, had procured 11,500 CNG vehicles, including buses and tricycles, which would be unveiled by President Bola Tinubu soon. She also highlighted efforts to visit refineries for on-the-spot assessments and the development of CNG conversion centres nationwide, aiming to deliver 1 million converted bi-fuel CNG/PMS vehicles to enable transporters and mass transit operators to switch to gas, which is significantly cheaper than PMS.
She emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerians and assured that the agreements with organised labour were being implemented with the President’s full support. She urged against shutting down the economy, as it would affect everyone.
Daily Trust
