NLC vows to continue protest
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointment with the policy measures outlined by President Bola Tinubu in his national broadcast on Tuesday, August 01, 2023, stating that they fall short of meeting the expectations of Nigerian workers.
In a statement titled “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Speech – Not the Silver Bullet that Nigerians Expected,” the NLC criticised the president’s address for not adequately addressing the concerns of the masses and failing to provide concrete solutions to the current economic challenges.
The labor movement stated that it will persist with its struggle until the government demonstrates a genuine commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerians and alleviating the hardships faced by ordinary citizens. One of the key issues raised by the NLC was the lack of attention to workers’ demands for a wage award to mitigate the impact of the sudden removal of fuel subsidies.
The president’s speech was also criticised for failing to identify those responsible for the fuel subsidy scam and not addressing the urgent matter of repairing the country’s national refineries.
President Tinubu’s speech, which conveyed a commitment to a better and more productive economy, was deemed insufficient by the NLC as it lacked concrete plans for revitalising the nation’s comatose public refineries.
The labor union expressed concern that the government’s promise to work with organised labor to review the national minimum wage seemed out of touch with the realities of hyperinflation and economic suffering caused by the fuel subsidy removal.
The NLC also decried the treatment they received during negotiations with the government, where they were forced to engage with empty chairs on the government’s side. The sub-committee on wage award has yet to be inaugurated, furthering the frustrations of the labor movement.
While the private sector received prompt wage awards for their employees, the NLC pointed out that the Federal Government failed to extend the same urgency to public workers.
Moreover, the NLC challenged the claims of government interventions through palliatives, loans, and conditional grants, stating that such promises have historically yielded minimal, if any, meaningful changes in the lives of Nigerian citizens.
The labor union also expressed bewilderment at the government’s disregard for previously identified fundamental issues, such as the need to repair national refineries and hold accountable those involved in the monumental subsidy sleaze.
