Lalong denies NLC’s claim of sabotaging FG-labour deal

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has denied the allegation by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that he is trying to scuttle the implementation of the agreements reached between organised labour and the federal government over the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and other issues.

The NLC claimed that Lalong breached the 15-point agreement (MoU) signed on October 2, 2023, by backing a faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) against the elected leadership of the union. The NLC said it would not allow any imposition of another leadership on the NURTW.

However, Lalong denied the claim in a statement issued by his press and public relations director, Olajide Oshundun, on Friday, October 21, 2023. He said he was not favouring any group and that he had met with the different factions of NURTW to reconcile them and ensure peace and harmony in the union.

He said: “The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has been informed of a press release issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on October 18, 2023, where it alleged that the Honourable Minister, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, is trying to undermine the important Labour-Federal Government Agreement of October 2, 2023.

“We want to clearly state that the allegation is baseless.

“We want to restate that the Honourable Minister has been giving consistent, adequate, and fair attention to the matter since he took office and became aware of the dispute among the various groups within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

“He has held several meetings to resolve the issue with representatives of the disputing groups, and the efforts are still ongoing.

“Therefore, it is wrong to imply that the Minister is supporting any of the groups in the course of the negotiations.

“Members of the NURTW, the NLC, and the entire Labour movement should be confident that the Minister, as Chief Conciliator, will continue to work with all parties to ensure that there is reconciliation, harmony, and industrial peace.”

The MoU between the federal government and the NLC has 15 items that must be fulfilled within 30 days. Some of these items are a temporary wage increase of N35,000 for federal workers until a new national minimum wage is set up, a six-month suspension of VAT on diesel, a pledge of N100 billion for high-capacity CNG buses for mass transit, and various initiatives to address labour issues.