… says strike option not in view yet
BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
LABOUR leaders have said that despite the fact that they walked out of a scheduled meeting with Federal Government officials, convened to review progress made on resolutions reached at previous meetings, they are not contemplating a strike action for now.
The union leaders said their leaving the meeting was to register their displeasure with Government’s handling of resolutions previously reached, which reflected insincerity.
Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Monday, noted that the Labour leaders needed to engage members and follow due process and could not on their own call for strike.
The Point had reported that the union leaders, on Sunday, walked out of a meeting with officials of the Federal Government, accusing Government of a high level of insincerity in its dealings with the Organised Labour.
The meeting, which began at about 8pm, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had been convened to review progress made so far with regard to resolutions reached at the previous meetings the Federal Government held with the labour leaders.
But the meeting, which had in attendance, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo; and Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, among others, had barely started when the union leaders walked out.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba; President, Trade Union Congress, Quadri Olaleye; and General Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees, Joe Ajaero, were among other union leaders present at the meeting.
Olaleye, who tipped for discussion, the latest hike in petrol pump price, from N160 to N170, said the unions were beginning to lose confidence in Government and warned that they would walk out if progress was not made.
He said FG’s action was putting them (union leaders) in an uncomfortable situation with Nigerians in terms of trust, noting that they could not even move freely.
The TUC President said, “Government is showing a high level of insincerity in discussions with us and is also putting us at risk with the people we are leading, with the masses. We find it difficult to move freely, but people in government are moving freely.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that the major problem we have in this country is insincerity and this cannot continue. The palliatives government promised and other pledges have not materialised. I just wonder the purpose of coming here every time to be discussing and putting ourselves at risk.”
“I want to put it to the government that if today’s meeting does not look promising to solve those problems, honestly, we would mobilise to walk out of the meeting. The situation is getting tense and you are putting us at risk,” he noted.
