The Nigerian Labour Congress has accused Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong of violating its agreement with the federal government on implementation of measures to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal.
It’s been reported earlier that the Organized Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, suspended its planned nationwide strike, following an agreement reached with the government on October 2, 2023, to, among others, pay N35,000 wage award to federal workers and ensure non-interference with the activities of the NURTW.
According to the NLC, the labor minister attempted to impose a new leadership on the NURTW against the terms of the agreement that was made between the government and labor as well as ILO Conventions 87 and 98. Less than two weeks remain until the agreement’s 30-day deadline to implement in order to prevent a national strike.
Organized labor pledged to support the democratically elected NURTW leadership and collaborate with them as the rightful representatives of transportation workers.
The sentence stated:
“Minister Lalong’s reckless attempt to undermine the crucial labor-federal government agreement of October 2, 2023,” the statement said, stated that in an unexpected development, Mr. Lalong, the Federal Minister of Labor, has thrown a wrench in the works of the
‘’This flagrant act not only constitutes an egregious intrusion into the internal affairs of a union, in violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 but also represents a clear attempt to sabotage the recently ratified agreement between the labour movement and the Federal Government.
“It is unfathomable that a federal minister of labour, tasked with safeguarding the rights and interests of diverse stakeholders in our industrial relations landscape, would opt to take actions that could undermine the very foundations of our collective engagement.
“The minister’s decision, which is clearly morally reprehensible and legally untenable, marks a disheartening departure from the expected standards of conduct within the nation’s industrial relations sphere.
“Despite initial assurances from the minister regarding the illegal occupation of the NURTW’s national headquarters,
Rather, the minister has opted to support and legitimize this takeover by using government support. This obvious attempt to seize power at the expense of morality and lawfulness is an insult to democratic administration.It is now quite evident that the federal administration never engaged in sincere negotiations and, as a result, never showed a sincere commitment to upholding the conditions of the agreement reached on October 2, 2023.
This confirms what we suspected earlier—that the state was attempting to stage a coup against the democratically elected NURTW leadership—and that Minister Lalong’s actions and remarks may have implied official support.
“We and the Nigerian public are fully aware of the government’s intentions with regard to carrying out the Agreement that was signed on October 2, 2023. It is clear that, similar to the NURTW problem, other aspects of the agreement’s implementation could be in danger.
‘’Therefore, we take heed of Minister Lalong’s actions, which flagrantly violate an accord responsibly endorsed by all involved parties.
“We restate and underline the following points: The Lagos group, who were members of the lands, parks, and garages commission in Lagos State, not the NURTW, were the ones who helped the federal government, acting through the Police, engineer the NURTW leadership crisis and forcefully occupy the union’s headquarters in Abuja.”The leadership of Comrade Tajudeen Baruwa was chosen democratically and upheld ILO conventions, national laws, and union bylaws.