No agreement with FG to suspend strike– NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that it has not reached any agreement with the Federal Government to cancel the planned indefinite strike set for October 3. This statement was made by Mr. Benson Upah, the Head of Information and Public Affairs at the NLC, in a press release issued on Thursday in Abuja.

The NLC, in collaboration with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), had declared an indefinite strike starting from the aforementioned date to assert their demands.

Upah’s response came in reaction to a statement reportedly issued by Mr. Olajide Oshundun, the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Upah pointed out inconsistencies in the statement, including the reference to the proposed strike and the alleged occupation of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) secretariat.

Upah clarified, “Firstly, we do not have any agreement with the government to suspend the planned strike action, neither do we have any date for a meeting with the government that may lead to the suspension of the proposed strike.” He also emphasized that the matter exceeded the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, indicating that this should have been apparent during their most recent meeting.

Upah commended the efforts of Mr. Simon Lalong, the Minister of Labour and Employment, in securing the release of NURTW executives from unlawful police detention. He took exception to the ministry’s description of these executives as factional leaders, asserting that they had been lawfully elected. Upah also advised the police and those responsible for the executives’ difficulties to refrain from such conduct and to reconsider their actions in the interest of democracy and the rule of law.