A meeting between the Federal Government and Organised Labour on Monday night at the State House in Abuja ended without reaching an agreement.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, stated that the planned rally will continue as it is the duty of President Bola Tinubu‘s administration to ensure it remains peaceful.
He said, “The rally goes on, and it is part of their constitutional responsibility to ensure that the rally is peaceful.”
The meeting, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, was not open to the media.
Attendees included the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, as well as Ministers of Labour, Agriculture, Finance, Budget & Planning, and the Head of Service of the Federation. Both labour centers in the country were also present at the meeting.
The NLC delegation was led by Joe Ajaero, the National President, and Festus Osifo led the delegation from the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The Federal Government asked the NLC to cancel its planned nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28, 2024.
The Minister of Information, Muhammad Idris, stated after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday that the Federal Government had met almost all the demands of the labor union.
The NLC emphasized that the Federal Government needs to act on its promises to Organised Labour and address the growing economic crisis in Nigeria.
Nigeria is currently facing challenges such as increasing inflation, food prices, a foreign exchange crisis, economic difficulties, and high living costs due to the removal of petrol subsidies.
This has led to protests in some areas of the country. Despite government attempts to discourage a planned strike, the NLC has stated that its members will not back down from their proposed nationwide protest.
