THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to boycott a meeting with the Federal Government scheduled for tomorrow, October 30, 2023, if Labour Minister Simon Lalong attends.
The ultimatum was delivered today by NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero while answering questions from journalists in Abuja after updating them on the situation of workers in Imo State.
Ajaero criticized Lalong for failing to create a cordial relationship with organized labor.
Hopefully, we may meet tomorrow (Monday) with the Federal Government to see whether the agreement with organised labour on the fuel subsidy removal palliatives was met or not,” he said.
“If that meeting is to hold, it will be without the Minister of Labour and Employment, because we will not be part of any meeting with the Federal Government that the Minister of Labour and Employment will attend.”
Labour unions and the government have been in talks over their planned strike in response to the removal of fuel subsidies.
During the rally today, Ajaero also vowed to mobilize its members to storm Imo State on November 1st.
The NLC chief accused the Imo State government of abusing workers’ rights in the state.
Ajaero stated that Governor Hope Uzodimma neglected the people’s wellbeing and that many of them died as a result of the alleged failure to pay their salary.
He detailed some of the alleged violations committed by the Imo State Governor against workers, including the alleged refusal to implement previous agreements, particularly the agreement reached on January 9, 2021, outstanding salary arrears of approximately 20 months, unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, declaration of pensioners as ghost workers, and unpaid gratuity arrears, among other things.
According to him, roughly 10,000 pensioners have been incorrectly labeled as ghost pensioners, resulting in almost 22 months of unpaid pensions, while the Imo State Government has labeled approximately 11,000 workers as ghost workers.
The NLC President also bemoaned the state government’s failure to comply with the national minimum wage, alleging that Governor Uzodinma had refused to employ social dialogue and collective bargaining to resolve the concerns.
