Organised Labour Suspends Nationwide Protest

The Organised Labour in Nigeria has announced the suspension of its nationwide protests against the removal of fuel subsidy.

The decision was made after a crucial meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja, during which the labour leaders extracted vital commitments from the government to address their concerns.

President of Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, who conveyed the news of the suspension in an interview with Arise News on Thursday morning, August 03, 2023, said the Labour leaders who had earlier met with President Bola Tinubu extracted some commitments to some of the issues raised during the meeting for immediate implementation. 

According to Osifo, the government has made pledges to initiate significant reforms in response to the union’s demands.

“The protest has been called off because the government has promised that within the next week, a lot of things will be put in place,” stated Osifo, expressing the labour leaders’ contentment with the government’s assurances.

The concessions made by the government include the establishment of a committee to review the minimum wage, aimed at addressing workers’ compensation concerns. Additionally, measures will be put in place to provide palliatives to mitigate the impacts of the fuel price increase, which has been a major point of contention for the unions.

Osifo emphasised that the unions would be closely monitoring the government’s implementation of these promises. The strike could be resumed if the government fails to fulfil its commitments.

Recall in a press release issued on Tuesday, the Nigeria Labour Congress had announced that it would proceed with the nationwide mass protest as initially planned, following a meeting with the Federal Government.

The NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero noted that the outcome of the meeting with the government did not yield any positive changes or concessions that would alter their course of action. They stressed that they remained steadfast in their commitment to representing the Nigerian workers’ and people’s interests and desires.