A peace meeting proposed by the Federal Government with Organised Labour failed to hold Friday, as labour leaders failed to show up.
Organised Labour had called a general strike action for Wednesday, October 3, failing government’s fulfillment of their demands on or before that date.
Labour’s demands include wage increases for the working classes, tax exemptions and allowances to public sector workers, reduction of cost of governance, provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, release of modalities for disbursement of N70 billion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), among others.
Government has held a series of meetings with labour over the weeks but the unions say these meetings have accomplished little other than to buy time for government.
For its part, government says it has released some of its proposed N5bn palliative fund for the states, is well disposed to raising wages, is working to deliver 3,000 (25-seater) buses, which operate on cheaper to run, compressed natural gas (CNG) to trim down transport costs and is working to deliver other reliefs.
Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, and Minister of Labour and Employment, Hon Simon Lalong, were scheduled to meet with Labour leaders, including President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, and his TUC counterpart, at the State House, Abuja, from about 3pm on Friday, but the guests failed to show up.
Labour watchers say the unions appear to believe they will glean more from President Tinubu’s Independence Day address to Nigerians on Sunday, October 1, than from a meeting with Gbajabiamila and Lalong.
Others say Labour’s wage increase demands, though desirable, would be difficult to meet wholescale and in one block, given the huge cost and the strained state of the economy.
They add that they expect that government might yield to a token wage increase, make a futuristic commitment to further scale-ups and then concentrate on efforts to ameliorate cost of living, such as the provision of CNG driven buses to which it has already made a commitment.
