On Monday, organized labour started organising its members for a nationwide demonstration against the nation’s rising cost of living, which is scheduled for February 27 and 28.
Our correspondents were informed by sources within the Nigeria Labour Congress leadership that the National Executive Council convened via Zoom on Friday, February 16, to examine the resolutions of the Trade Union Congress and the National Action Council of the NLC regarding the organized labor agreement with the Federal Government.
Rising from the crucial meeting, the labour unions, sources said, agreed to demand the implementation of the agreement with the Federal Government without further delay.
“The NLC at its Zoom meeting held on Friday, February 16, 2024, resolved in line with the resolution of NAC of NLC and that of the TUC, which demands that the agreement between the leadership of the two labour centres and government be implemented without further delay,” a source told The PUNCH.
The Federal Government’s failure to fulfil its promises after the 14-day ultimatum by Labour, according to sources, will be met with two-day nationwide protest already slated for February 27 and 28.
The Head of Information of the NLC, Benson Upah, who confirmed the resolution of the meeting, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the NLC affiliates were being mobilised for the protest just as state chapters of the congress vowed to join the nationwide demonstration.
Upah told one of our correspondents that the protest would be held as planned and agreed at the meeting.
Asked if the union would shelve the protest, he responded, “Why would we back down? Has anything changed to warrant that? For your information, we are mobilising in earnest,” he added.
A memo obtained by one of our correspondents and dated February 18, 2024, also confirmed the meeting and the resolution reached.
Signed by General Secretary of the National Union of Public Service Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors, and Allied Workers Union, Duro Adebisi, and titled, ‘Mobilisation for Nationwide Protest’ the memo read, “I write in reference to the subject matter above to inform you that the NEC of Nigeria Labour Congress at its Zoom meeting held on Friday, February 16, 2024 resolved in line with the resolution of NAC of NLC and that of the TUC, which demands that the agreement between the leadership of the two labour centres and government be implemented without further delay. But that if otherwise, after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum, which will elapse on 22nd February 2024, affiliates should direct its members across the board for a two-day nationwide protest on 27th and 28th February 2024, respectively.
“Comrades, arising from the paragraph above, the National Secretariat of our union is hereby requesting your council to start mobilising our members in collaboration with your state/federal NLC to ensure/encourage our active participation in the said action (s).”
As labour unions mobilised their members for the nationwide protest, there were fuel queues in Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, and Ogun states, as well as Abuja, on Monday following the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners.