The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that the federal government’s committee led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, is incapable of leading negotiations on the effects of fuel subsidy removal on workers.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that NLC President Joe Ajaero made the statement at a meeting between the leadership of the organised labour and the Senate principal officers led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.
Ajaero said that the wage review committee, which was supposed to be set up by the federal government to review the salaries of workers, has not yet sat two months after the removal of fuel subsidy.
He also said that the government has not yet put anything in place to ameliorate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the masses.
“At no time had the Chief of Staff to the President, who is very busy, called to negotiate or lead negotiations, and that has delayed the issues,” Ajaero said.
“Even since our protest, another meeting has not reconvened, although the president promised that he will restructure the mechanism of engagement with the government for issues to be treated fast.”
Ajaero also lamented the plight of Nigerians as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy without putting anything on the ground to ameliorate the effect on the masses.
“While labour leaders were still deliberating on N537 per litre of fuel and the court had ruled for the status quo to remain, surprisingly, the government decided to increase the fuel to N620 per litre,” he said.
In response, Senate President Akpabio thanked labour leaders for their patience and assured them that the government is working to ameliorate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
“Although the government had saved N1 trillion as a result of fuel subsidy removal, the present administration inherited a broke country with over N30 trillion debt,” Akpabio said.
“But be rest assured that effect of fuel subsidy removal being felt by workers and in fact Nigerians would be ameliorated very soon by the federal government.”
