NLC Refutes FG's Assertion That It settled 80% Of The Deal...

 The one item that would put an end to the planned statewide walkout over the country's hardships has been made public by the Nigeria Labour Congress, or NLC.

The union's leadership claims that if the federal government upholds the agreement it made with labor, the planned protest will not take place.

This was stated in a letter from the NLC to the FG, in which it refuted the federal government's assertions that it had completed 80% of the terms of the agreement reached with organized labor on October 2, 2023.

NLC's Acting General Secretary, Ismail Bello, recommended the FG to expedite the agreement's implementation process by March 13, 2024, if possible, in a letter to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment.

"Has the government truly implemented the October 2, 2023, agreement?" is the subject line of the letter:

“We write to bring to your attention our concerns regarding the implementation of the October 2, 2023 agreement.

“Your statement suggesting that the government has fulfilled 80 per cent of the said agreement has raised a lot of worries among our members. ”As key stakeholders to that agreement, we feel compelled to address this issue as it may mislead the public and undermine the trust that ought to exist between the government and the Nigerian people especially that which ought to exist between us as social partners.

“Upon careful examination of the 15 points outlined in the October 2, 2023, agreement, it is evident that most of them have not been fully met. “Furthermore, the few that were supposedly being addressed have been implemented in breach. Allow us to highlight these examples and we would be happy to be contradicted in any of them.

“The first item on the agreement is the N35,000 wage award. We hope that you still remember that by the end of January this year, the federal government had only paid just one month of the four months due to workers. It took pressures from us before some additional months were paid this month. ”However, it still remains in arrears and has caused undue financial strain on affected workers nationwide. The Port Harcourt Refinery has yet to resume production, despite assurances to the contrary.

”As we write, despite the firm pledge that products will start flowing out of that refinery latest December 2023, nothing has happened. If a litre or a truck load of product has left the refinery to the pumps, Nigerians would be glad to know.

“The promised N25,000 cash transfers to 15 million poor households have not materialized. Rather, all manner of sad tales verging on deep corruption and other mal-feasance have emerged from its management, substantiating our earlier fears on the nature of the social register.

“Tax waivers for workers, small businesses and general public, which was supposed to reduce hardship on the populace have not been implemented, further burdening them financially.”