Palliatives: FG Begs For Patience At Meeting With TUC

Minister of labour and employment, Simon Lalong yesterday interfaced with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria to brief them on the efforts made by the federal government to address their grievances.

The development came two weeks after both parties met to discuss issues that border on palliative measures to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

The minister disclosed that after their last meeting, he had met with President Bola Tinubu to highlight some of the issues raised by the congress.

According to a statement issued by the ministry’s director of press and public relations, Olajide Oshundu, Lalong appealed to the TUC to exercise more patience, while explaining that before the president left for the United Nations General Assembly  (UNGA) in New York, he was fully briefed.

He said the president has given further directives on implementation of issues put before him, particularly when he personally met with the labour leaders.

Oshundu said that the TUC president, Comrade Festus Osifo, expressed appreciation over the efforts of the minister, stressing that there need to be more action than promises because workers are getting more inpatient due to hardship occasioned by the removal of subsidy.

Osifo said the workers are facing enormous pressures that are making life very difficult, which makes the leadership of TUC to have sleepless nights.

He however said that the congress hoped that between the next two weeks, the president would have done everything possible to arrive at a conclusion which the workers are eager to hear in order to douse the tension and threat for withdrawal of services by workers.

According to Oshundu they held fruitful discussions and hoped that the government will live up to its promises and responsibility by ensuring the welfare of workers and Nigerians in general.