By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The Federal Government has set up a Steering Committee to consider the various demands presented by the organised labour following the removal of fuel subsidy.
The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, and Presidents of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Unions Congress (TUC), Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo respectively, disclosed this to State House Correspondents in separate briefings after a meeting at Chief of Staff to the President Conference Room at the State House, Abuja on Monday night.
Monday’s meeting was the fourth in a series of negotiations between the FG and organised labour since the discontinuance of petroleum subsidy, as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
At the last meeting on June 5, 2023, the FG and the two labour unions had agreed to continue talks and secure closure on the resolutions.
However, Alake said Monday’s engagement featured the creation of a Steering Committee to which several Sub-committees would report on various aspects of the demands made by the organised labour.
“Both parties went through the list and we ticked off the viable ones. Those things are broken into three different categories – the immediate, those that are low-hanging fruit; then the medium term and the long term,” Alake said, adding that: “There’s a steering committee that will be like a clearing house.”
On his part, the TUC President, Osifo, said, “The government came up with what they thought would work, and we made some input. From this night, we are going to continue the work in order to have that framework together.
“Once we have the framework, then we will agree. Anything we are putting together must be concluded in eight weeks. Everything must be rolled out within that time.”
Osifo explained that the presidential steering committee would superintend over other technical subcommittees to consider key aspects of the talks, such as the rollout of converted mass transit vehicles running on Compressed Natural Gas as well as those to review the minimum wage.
Also speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the NLC President, Ajaero, said, “This meeting is intentionally to give life to those agreements that were reached. We have set up committees in those key areas to commence work on them to make sure that we wrap up in the next eight weeks.”
