NLC Gives Condition To Attend Meeting With FG Today

NLC President, Joe Ajaero

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given its terms and conditions before it can attend the meeting scheduled with the Federal government on Monday, October 30.

It was gathered that an invitation to a meeting was sent to both leaders of NLC and TUC by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and it’s slated to be held later today at the State House, Abuja.

It was learned that the meeting is to review the report on the implementation of the agreements reached with labour on measures put in place to address the impact of fuel subsidy removal.

However, the NLC has threatened to boycott the meeting if the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, will be part of it.

Stating their reason for that decision, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, on Sunday said the Minister’s position on the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) showed he has no control over issues.

The NLC boss told pressmen on Sunday that the minister went against the agreement on the issue of crisis in the NURTW by taking sides with a faction in the dispute.

“Hopefully, we may meet tomorrow (Monday) with the federal government to see whether the agreement with organised labour on the fuel subsidy removal palliatives was met or not.

“If that meeting is to hold, it will be without the Minister of Labour and Employment because we will not be part of any meeting with the federal government that the Minister of Labour and Employment will attend.

“You will recall that the decision we had on the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) was that all parties, including the Police, should the premises pending the resolution of the dispute, but that did not happen.

“Therefore, any meeting we will have with the Federal government, the Minister of Labour and Employment will not be part of it,” Ajaero stated.

It would be recalled that the NLC had last week called out the minister for allegedly supporting the illegal faction of the NURTW by encouraging them to conduct their own Delegates conference.