A steering committee set up by Government on Monday, to facilitate the delivery of palliatives to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians, has eight weeks to conclude its work.
This committee is made up of representatives of Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Following a meeting with Government at State House, Abuja, Monday, Organised Labour announced that it has agreed to participate in the steering committee to receive reports from other sub- committees.
The objective is to determine the nature of palliatives to be delivered to Nigerians, in the short, medium and long term.
Organised Labour had on June 5 suspended its planned nationwide strike over fuel subsidy removal, following the agreement reached with the Federal Government.
Present at Monday’s meeting were a delegation of the Nigeria LabourCongress (NLC), led by its President, Joe Ajaero; a delegation of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), led by its President, Festus Osifo; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Zachaeus Adedeji; the Special Adviser to the President Energy, Olu Verheijen, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachallom Daju.
Others are the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed; among others
Among agreements reached on June 5, was the establishment of a joint committee to review the proposal for any wage increase or award and establish a framework and timeline for implementation.
The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC were also to review the World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme and propose inclusion of low-income earners in the program as well as revive the Compressed Natural Gas conversion programme earlier agreed with Labor centres in 2021.
