TUC undecided on planned NLC’s two-day strike

The Trade Union Congress has said the need has not arisen for it to join the proposed nationwide strike being called by the Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday, 5 September, for some obvious reasons.

President of TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, gave this position on Monday in a statement jointly signed by his Secretary General, Nuru Toro.

“As of today, the need to embark on a nationwide strike hasn’t arisen; hence, the leadership of Congress should intensify the conversation with the government so that all grey areas identified can be ironed out within the time frame given beyond which we cannot guarantee industrial harmony,” TUC simply stated.

He said the decision not to join the strike was hinged on the National Executive Council, NEC meeting of the TUC held on Sunday, 3 September 2023.

Osifo said the Meeting deliberated extensively on various issues, particularly the various palliatives that the federal government and some state governments have rolled out thus far.

He went on to explain that the NEC took cursory note of the efforts the leadership of Congress had been making in engaging the government saliently, and such quiet interventions culminated in the Federal Government approving the sum of N5 billion to each state of the federation with 52% as grant and 48% as loan.

Osifo said the leadership of Congress have since made its position known that the sum released was grossly insufficient to ameliorate Nigerians’ sufferings.

He said NEC applauded their position in session, and it directed its leadership to engage the government further to provide more palliatives and that its distributions must be monitored extensively to prevent diversion.

He went on to say that the NEC in session appraised all the engagement the leadership of Congress have been having with the Nigeria Governors Forum aimed at pressing them on the various interventions states government should be making in their respective domain.

He said they noted that most of the states have not provided any form of palliatives from state resources outside the unsatisfactory interventions made by the federal government.