The Nigeria Labour Congress has recommended a statewide strike for Tuesday, September 5, but the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has stated that it is not necessary for it to participate for a number of obvious reasons.
Comrade Festus Osifo, President of the TUC, stated this view on Monday in a statement that was also jointly signed by Nuru Toro, his Secretary General.
The TUC merely stated, “As of today, there is no need to begin a nationwide strike; the leadership of Congress should intensify the conversation with the government so that all identified grey areas could be ironed out within the time frame provided, beyond which we cannot guarantee industrial harmony.
He claimed that the TUC’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on September 3, 2023, would determine whether or not the TUC would participate in the strike.
Osifo reported that the group spent a lot of time discussing a variety of topics, especially the different palliatives that the federal government and several state governments had so far implemented.
The federal government approved the payment of $5 billion to each state of the federation, with 52% of that amount going as a grant and 48% going as a loan, after the NEC took cursory note of the leadership of congress’s efforts to engage the government visibly.
Osifo claimed that the congress leadership has subsequently stated that the amount released was egregiously insufficient to lessen the pains being experienced by Nigerians.
He said that NEC in session supported their stance and gave its leadership instructions to further engage the government in providing additional palliatives. He also claimed that deliveries of these medications needed to be closely watched to prevent diversion.
