Abuja, June 5, 2023 – The Federal Government is to resume talks on removal of petrol subsidy with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), an affiliate of NLC, on Tuesday.
The meeting started on Sunday, but was postponed later into the dialogue for the two sides to meet again on Tuesday.
Dele Alake, the newly appointed Presidential Spokesperson, told journalists at the end of the meeting on Sunday that the discussions went well and made appreciable progress.
He said the TUC presented a list of demands, the top of which was to increase the minimum wage of workers to cushion the effect of the removal of subsidy on petrol.
“We said we are going to reconvene to keep the engagement on to defuse the tension in the land as a result of the withdrawal of subsidy, which is a reality.
“Now, we are very happy to announce to Nigerians that this engagement has been very productive and the TUC that attended today’s meeting presented a list of demands, which we have studied and we are going to present to the President for his consideration.
“But we can announce to Nigerians that a lot of the items on the TUC list are not impracticable,” he said.
Alake said the government’s representatives at the meeting asked the TUC to give them a leeway to consult very exhaustively and reconvene on Tuesday to look at the viability of implanting them.
Alake said the government was also reaching out to the NLC to participate in the dialogue.
Festus Osifo, the President of the TUC, said the demands of TUC were presented, the top of which is the upward review of the minimum wage in line with current realities.
“We were here on Wednesday last week and after that meeting, the government gave us its position, telling us why they did what they did.
“So, on our part we did not agree with them, so they presented some things they considered such as palliatives, but we told them we were going back to discuss with our respective organs.
“So, we summoned the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on Friday and at that meeting, the NEC mandated us with a list of demands to present to the government which we did today.
“Part of those demands is to increase the minimum wage and they have also told us that they need to present these demands to the President so that we will reconvene on Tuesday.
“Topmost of our demands is that for utmost good fate and in the interest of social dialogue, they should revert the pump price while discussions continue,” he said.
Osifo said the TUC was optimistic that its demands would be reviewed in the best interest of Nigerian workers. (GBN)
