FG Assures Labour of Resuming Payment of Wage Award Following Ultimatum

The Federal Government has assured the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that the payment of wage awards to workers will resume this week.

This assurance was given by Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, during a meeting with the leadership of the NLC and TUC on Tuesday in Abuja.

The meeting was called by the minister in response to the 14-day ultimatum issued by the labour organisations on the non-implementation of the 16-point agreement reached on October 2, 2023.

The minister appealed to the labour organisations to withdraw their ultimatum, as the government had stepped up efforts to complete the implementation of the agreement.

According to the minister, “It is true we agreed, but the government has shown good faith, considering the urgency of the issue at hand. I called this meeting because dialogue has always been the best way out, and we are all for the well-being of our people. I am here to show good cause on why some agreement has not been met.”

The minister also assured the labour representatives of President Tinubu’s sincerity of purpose and dedication to implementing the agreement.

She promised that the government would keep working towards the complete implementation of the agreement and requested the Labour unions to withdraw their ultimatum.

In a related development, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi, the Programme Director and Chief Executive of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, reported that the government had made a 70% payment for the new CNG buses and kits, and that some of the buses were ready, with local assembly of others to begin between March and April 2024.

Despite the assurances, the NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, called on the Federal Government to be committed to beating the deadline of the 14-day ultimatum that started on February 9, 2024, by ensuring the implementation of the agreement.

The meeting concluded with an agreement on an immediate joint inspection visit to the Port Harcourt Refinery, to confirm the reported progress in getting the refinery back to operation.