Threatening to boycott the FG meeting if the labour minister shows up – NLC

Lalong was chastised by Ajaero for failing to build a friendly rapport with organised labour.

In the event that Labour Minister Simon Lalong attends the Nigeria Labour Congress’s (NLC) meeting with the Federal Government on Monday, October 30, 2023, the NLC has vowed to boycott.

Following a briefing on the situation of workers in Imo State, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero delivered the threat on Sunday while taking questions from journalists in Abuja.

Lalong was chastised by Ajaero for failing to build a friendly rapport with organised labour.

He stated, “Hopefully, we may meet with the Federal Government tomorrow (Monday) to see whether or not the agreement with organised labour on the removal of fuel subsidy palliatives was met.”

“We will not participate in any meeting with the Federal Government that the Minister of Labour and Employment attends, so if that meeting takes place, it will be without the Minister of Labour and Employment.”

The government and labour unions have been negotiating over the scheduled industrial action due to the fuel subsidy reduction.

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Ajaero also made threats during the ceremony on Sunday to organise its members to storm Imo State on Wednesday, November 1.

The head of the NLC charged that the workers’ rights in Imo State were being violated by the government.

Ajaero bemoaned the fact that many of them had perished as a result of what he claimed was Governor Hope Uzodimma’s negligence of their wellbeing.

He listed some of the alleged violations committed by the governor of Imo State against labourers, such as the governor’s purported refusal to carry out prior agreements, particularly the one struck on January 9, 2021; unpaid salary arrears of nearly two years; unfair designation of employees as ghost workers; and unpaid gratuity arrears, among other things.

He claims that over 11,000 employees have been classified as ghost workers by the Imo State Government, and approximately 10,000 pensioners have had their benefits incorrectly categorised as ghost pensioners, leading to almost 22 months of unpaid pensions.

The NLC President also bemoaned the state government’s noncompliance with the federal minimum wage, alleging that Governor Uzodinma has opposed the application of social dialogue and collective bargaining to address the problems.