The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked the President Bola Tnubu-led federal government to speed up work on palliatives for Nigerian workers to mitigate the economic effects of subsidy removal.
During its discussion with the government, TUC urged the various committees to conclude its work in the next two weeks and submit their reports for the Presidential Steering Committee to conclude its work immediately.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, Festus Osifo, president of the TUC, noted that the federal government could not afford to “speak grammar” while the workers are suffering.
Politics Nigeria understands that the discussions between the government and organised labour were adjourned on June 19 for eight weeks to enable the government to put together measures to mitigate the economic effects of subsidy removal. The eight weeks will end on August 18, 2023.
“We want the government to ensure that between now and the next two weeks, all the committees must have submitted their reports for the Presidential Steering Committee to conclude its work immediately because we cannot continuously speak grammar while Nigerians are suffering. We cannot continuously speak English while people are trekking to work,” Osifo said.
He expressed TUC’s readiness to meet with the government “even at night or at weekends” to ensure the process is done quickly to alleviate the plight of Nigerian workers.
The TUC president also urged the government to reduce the cost of governance, saying Nigerian workers and masses could not continue to adjust their belts while those in government continued to live large.
