FG, Labour in marathon meeting to avert planned strike

…NUPENG, RATTAWU, others mobilize members for showdown

By Egena Sunday Ode

The Federal Government and the organised Labour have been locked in a marathon meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja for over six hour as at press time on Sunday.
The meeting, which was called by the federal government, is a last minute effort at preventing the nationwide indefinite strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
Attending the meeting on the side of the organised Labour are the NLC President, Joe Ajaero; Secretary of the TUC, Nuhu Toro and his counterpart from NLC, Emma Ugbaja.
The government team is led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Other members of the government team include the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, the Minister of State, Nkeiruka Onyejecha, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu
Also present are some directors from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
There was no opening ceremony as the meeting went straight into closed-doors.
Recall that the NLC and its TUC counterpart had served notice of a nationwide indefinite strike billed to commence on Tuesday, October 3.
The strike is premised upon what Labour called government’s insensitivity to the suffering of Nigerians occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy in May by President Bola Tinubu.
Meanwhile, despite the emergenct meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila at Aso Rock Villa on Sunday to avert the impending nationwide indefinite strike billed to commence on Tuesday, October 3 by the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC), no fewer than a dozen affiliate bodies have issued official notices to their members and general public to get ready for the showdown.
Reports suggest that the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Radio, Television, Theatre Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) are among the first unions to announce their readiness for the strike while National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees have also given notice of joining the strike.
Also, the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NURW); National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE); Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria; Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria; Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees and National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees, have all dropped notices to join the strike.