STRIKE: Nigerian govt approves 30-day implementation of MoU with labour

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), has approved a 30-day implementation plan for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the federal government and organised labour unions to enable the government implement it’s part of agreements with the unions.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had, in September, issued a warning that they would embark on an indefinite strike from October 3 over the unbearable hardship Nigerians were going through as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.

However, they had to suspend the strike after a meeting with a government delegation on October 1 to engage the unions as a measure to avert the nationwide strike, where the labour leaders reached an agreement to shelve the planned action in an MoU signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president, Festus Osifo, TUC president, and representatives of the federal government.

According to Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong who briefed State House correspondents after FEC meeting at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, the unions had agreed to suspend their strike by 30 days, with parties to the agreement committing “to henceforth, abide by the dictates of social dialogue in all our future engagements.”

The Minister said the government was also taking a decision against any external interference in union activities by external bodies as a memorandum was presented to the council on the implementation of the agreement with labour.

READ ALSO:STRIKE: Minister Lalong begs labour, says govt working on wage award to workers

“We presented a memo from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the memo was basically on the agreement between government and the labour. You are already aware that 15 items are parts of the agreement.

“But we went beyond mere agreement, we told them that something different this time is happening because one, part of the agreement is to file it in the court of law which we have set the process already.

“And the other one was the presidential approval. There cannot be any presidential approval more than the Federal Executive Council. So we presented them to the Federal Executive Council.

“We analyzed each and every aspect of the agreement and to show the genuineness and also provide for harmonious and good industrial relationship and that was why it was presented and it was approved for implementation.

“It was agreed that within 30 days , there must be evidence of implementation and that was the basis of presenting to the Federal Executive Council the memo and the Federal Executive Council also approved it and within these 30 days, we will go on with the implementation of the agreement between labour and government,” Lalong said.

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