The Senate has made a passionate appeal to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call off its proposed nationwide strike billed to kick-off on Wednesday, August 2, should government fail to meet its demands.
The Senate further avers that it will enter into negotiations with the NLC to avert the strike.
The NLC strike, should it come into effect, will join with the ongoing strike of the 10,000-strong National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which is currently undermining healthcare delivery in the nation’s teaching hospitals.
NARD is demanding the immediate payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF) and the immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement.
NARD is also demanding payment of skipping arrears and upward review of consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS) in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS.
Other demands include payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors and reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
For its part, the NLC is asking for, “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government, including the recent hike in petrol price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers”.
Sponsoring a motion titled, “Urgent need to avert the intending strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress”, Kawu Suleiman, a Senator on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from Kano, said he was concerned that the strike would cause great distress to Nigerians as well as to the nation’s economy.
The Senate then resolved to mandate its leadership to interface between the NLC and the Federal Government to avert the impending strike.
The Senate said it was making the appeal in order to ward off the extreme hardship that the nation could be plunged into, should the proposed strike carry through.
The legislative body affirmed the right of the NLC to express its misgivings through protest but urged it to consider the scale and weight of the impact of such a move on the lives and livelihoods of teeming Nigerians who are already hard pressed.
The Senate then urged the NLC to pursue conflict resolution through constructive dialogue and promised that the legislature was keen to engage with it along these lines.
It said it believed that by focusing on negotiation and communication, a compromise could be reached that safeguarded the rights and interests of the workers, while also ensuring the smooth functioning of the nation’s economy.
It further called upon other relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Government and private sector representatives, to join in the dialogue with the NLC. Such a broad-based discussion, it is hoped, would lead to a more comprehensive and long-lasting solution to the issues at hand, it said.
The NLC had on Tuesday, July 25th, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, to reverse “all anti-poor” people policies, including the hike in the price of petrol, failing which labour would embark on a nationwide strike.
This information was contained in a communiqué issued by the NLC at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting.
The said communiqué was signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, as well as the union’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja.
The NLC further stated in the communiqué: “That the NNPCL (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited) has turned itself into the forces of demand and supply and fixes the price of petroleum products, while mouthing deregulation.
“That government’s conduct suggests it does not intend to commit itself to the MoU it signed with NLC and TUC (Trade Union Congress).”
It further demands for, “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government including the recent hike in PMS price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers”.
