Better Welfare For Workers Still Our Priority – Labour

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said prioritising the welfare and living standards of Nigerian workers remains a crucial aspect of its advocacy.

The comment comes three months after the organised labour and the federal government signed a 15-point agreement to implement palliative measures to ease the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

However, LEADERSHIP learnt that some of the items in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in October, 2023, are yet to be fully implemented.

Recall that on October 3, 2023 the  NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) suspended a planned strike, a last move to ensure the federal government addressed the hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal.

But not much has been heard from the organised Labour on the implementation of the MoU while the hardship continues.

NLC’s head of information and public affairs, Comrade Benson Upah, who commented on the progress of the deal to LEADERSHIP yesterday, said that negotiations would soon commerce on a new minimum wage which is expected to address multiple-faceted challenges faced by the Nigerian workers in the midst of hardship.

Asked whether NLC has given up on the struggle in the face of persistent hardship, Upah said the organised labour has since sent a list of its negotiation team to the federal government.

He said they await the formal constitution of the Minimum Wage Committee which will design the terms of better working conditions for workers and living conditions for Nigerians.

Speaking further he said, “Certainly, we couldn’t have given up on the struggle for better working conditions for workers and living conditions for Nigerians.

“We have since sent the list of our representatives to the government at its instance. We are waiting for the formal constitution of the Minimum Wage Committee,” he added.