Organized labour said that it will meet with Federal Government representatives today to discuss the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that both parties signed about palliative measures for the removal of gasoline subsidies.
Ajaero stated that the meeting is expected to evaluate the extent of implementation of the 12-point Memorandum of Understanding established on October 2, 2023, as the 30-day implementation window granted by organized labour concludes this week.
Last week, the labour movement threatened to go on strike again, claiming that Simon Lalong, the minister of labour and employment, had sided with a section of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) leadership, in violation of item six of the Memorandum of Understanding and the ratified agreement.
Despite this, the minister denied the accusation, claiming it was unfounded. However, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress declared that the organization will no longer go to any Federal Government meetings where Lalong is expected to be present.
Ajaero claims that Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff, called today’s meeting.
He said: “Hopefully, we may meet tomorrow (today) with the Federal Government, all things being equal on their report template, to know whether all those issues have been met in the last 30 days.
“That is if that meeting is held without the Minister of Labour because he will not be present in any meetings with us.
“So, any meeting the Federal Government calls today with the Ministry of Labour in attendance, that meeting will not hold. We can’t meet with him and you would have noticed that of late, meetings are no longer called at the Ministry of Labour, because, he is not in control. Therefore, to depend on him for resolutions on issues, taking place about labour, is to waste our time.
“If you watch, tomorrow’s invitation that we got, was from the office of the chief of staff to the president and that is where previous meetings were held.
“So, the current minister of labour has no power or place in the current industrial relations practised in Nigeria.”
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