The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has officially approved a 30-day strategy to put into action the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the federal government National Labour Congress (NLC) as well and the Trade Union Commission (TUC).
Simon Lalong, minister of labour and employment, confirmed this to newsmen at the end of the FEC meeting on Monday in Abuja.
Recall that on October 1 the organized labour and its affiliated unions were summoned to a meeting with the federal government amid a pending strike threat. The federal government entered a MoU agreement with the unions, containing 15 items to be implemented within thirty days.
The NLC president, Joe Ajaero, the TUC president, Festus Osifo, and federal government representatives came to an agreement and signed the MoU, effectively putting the planned strike on hold for a month.
Speaking on the development, Lalong said the MoU was presented to the council, adding that the document has 15 items of agreement.
The former Plateau governor mentioned that one segment of the MoU will be presented in court, and he has confirmed that the process is underway.
- “We presented a memo from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The memo was basically on the agreement between the government and the labour,
- “You are already aware that 15 items are parts of the agreement. But we went beyond mere agreement, we told them that something different is happening because one, part of the agreement is to file it in the court of law which we have set the process already.
- “And the other one was the presidential approval. There cannot be any presidential approval more than the Federal Executive Council.
- “So we presented them to the Federal Executive Council. We analyzed each and every aspect of the agreement to show the genuineness and also provide for a harmonious and good industrial relationship and that was why it was presented, and it was approved for implementation.
- “The council also approved that within these 30 days, we should go with the implementation of the agreement between labour and government” he stated.
The government alleged interference with NURTW leadership
One of the items listed in the MoU is the allegation that the government was interfering with the leadership structure of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), resulting in friction between members of the union.
According to the sixth item of the MoU, the federal government commits to resolving the conflicts between members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN, an integral part of NURTW.
Speaking on the development, Lalong confirmed that the federal government’s meeting with the leadership of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has come to a productive end.
He, however, added that the meeting with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has not been concluded.
What you should know
On September 26, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) instructed their members and affiliated organizations to initiate a nationwide indefinite strike on October 3, in opposition to the removal of petrol subsidies and the economic challenges in the nation.
However, an emergency meeting was convened by the federal government on October 1 to engage with labour unions, aiming to prevent a nationwide strike.
The organized labour leadership took a step back from the planned indefinite strike, as their decision came twenty-four hours later.
The labour leaders reached a 15-point agreement to shelve the planned action in an MoU signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president, Festus Osifo, TUC president, and representatives of the federal government.
