Civil Servants in Nigeria are anticipating an indefinite strike as the meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to end the proposed action ended in dreadlock.
Spy News Nigeria gathered that the Nigerian Trade Union has also concluded plans to begin an indefinite labour action on Friday.
The NLC had proposed that the federal government should grant a 200 per cent Wage Award to workers as part of measures to cushion the effect of the withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products.
It was also gathered that the federal government has also invited the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for further talks on Tuesday, at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the talks at the meeting were meaningful, but with no agreement to tell the story.
When asked to comment on the outcome of negotiation, Ajaero said: “You can see that there was no agreement on any issue, there is no CNG anywhere and refineries are not working nor has anything been done on the issue of wage award and cash transfers or the ASUU issues.
“However, we believe that between now and the next few days when the ultimatum will expire that something will happen.”
He said that based on the ultimatum issued by the congress, if no progress was made before the expiration, an indefinite strike would commence from Friday.
“We had meaningful discussion on issues relating to our demands. We equally discussed frankly on issues bordering on the coup plotted and executed by the Nigerian Police against the NURTW which had led to the sideling of the democratically elected leadership of the union.
“This is one sore area that the Nigerian trade union is not ready to compromise. Coup must be condemned whether it is in Niger, whether it’s in Congo, whether it’s in Mali or whether it’s in the trade union movement in Nigeria.”
On the specific issues considered at the meeting, Ajaero said: “In the ultimatum we gave and in the NEC resolution, the issue of NURTW was clearly stated and it was at the time the issue has not degenerated the way it is now.
“That was why we had to bring it along with other issues.”
Ajaero had in his opening presentation, before the meeting went into a closed door session, said the Congress was sad that government summoned them to a meeting while the national headquarters of its key affiliate, the National Union of Road Transport Workers was still under Police occupation and its leaders clamped in detention.
Ajaero said: “It is with great honour that we showed up for this meeting to show our commitment once again to the Nigerian project. We came with mixed feelings on whether it will work or not because we have had so many meetings from beyond this level that did not yield anything, but as great optimists we are here in the hope that something will happen.”
He said the government failed to engender trust for a long time.
Ajaero, also countered federal government concern over loss of man hours and productivity during the last NLC warning strike, saying that even some states have officially reduced working days to two due to the unbearable hardship imposed by the fuel subsidy removal.
According to Ajaero, it was the federal government that promised palliatives as a means of cushioning the hardship in the land but seemed to be reneging on it
