SAN FRANCISCO, May 18, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has revealed it was prepared to reopen negotiation with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the fuel price hike.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, in a statement on Wednesday night adding that that the strike action called by the NLC will neither earn more money for the government or repair the refineries.
The Minister debunked allegations by labour that government did not consult the union before announcing the new pump price revealing that government and labour met twice on the issue.
“The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. (Dr.) Chris Nwabueze Ngige is constrained to respond to a number of issues which were raised today (Wednesday) by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, after he led the NLC to withdraw from the negotiation between the Federal Government and organised labour on Tuesday, May 17, 2016,” the statement read.
“It is instructive to note that most Nigerians have shown great understanding of the fact that the current problem is not a subsidy removal issue, but how to deal with the non-availability of foreign exchange, a situation that leaves the federal government with no other choice than to deregulate the downstream of the petroleum sector which resulted in rise in pump price of petroleum.
“In view of the above, the federal government is fully committed to the quick implementation of the palliatives in the 2016 budget, while developing other ways to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.
“The federal government appreciates all the important issues raised by the labour unions and has taken them into consideration. Government is resolute in making sure that the economy is not only strong, but able to provide jobs and opportunities for all Nigerians.
“The federal government went to court to seek an injunction restraining labour from embarking on strike because there is a clear process of declaring labour strike under the law. It is therefore the view of government that those processes were not complied with before the NLC called the strike.”
Story by David Oputah
