Labour Rejects Gbajabiamila As Head Of FG's Team On Subsidy Negotiations, Writes National Assembly

On Tuesday, organised labour rejected Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, as the head of the Federal Government’s team that will negotiate subsidy removal palliatives with labour unions, according to The PUNCH. When the leadership of the labour unions visited the Senate, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, made this known.

According to him, the Chief of Staff has been too busy to organise a meeting, and President Bola Tinubu’s wage award committee has yet to meet nearly two months after the termination of fuel subsidy. The union leaders were at the Senate to meet with the Senate leadership. In a resolution passed two weeks ago, the Senate promised to meet with labour unions to discuss the subsidy removal plan.

Ajaero stated: “Part of our challenge is the issue of the committee put in place, the committee appears not to be capable, As a labour union, we have done negotiation and engagement with the government since the time of the Secretary to the General of the Federation under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ufot Ekaette, during BabaGana Kingibe, Pius Ayim, and Boss Mustapha. “At no time was the President’s Chief of Staff, who is extremely busy, called to negotiate or lead negotiations.

“And that has delayed the issues, even since our protest; another meeting has not been rescheduled, despite the president’s promise to restructure the mechanism of engagement with government to help things be treated quickly.” During a meeting with Senate leadership, the NLC President decried the condition of Nigerians as a result of the removal of gasoline subsidy. He stated that the administration had failed to put systems in place to mitigate the effects in the country.

Similarly, his colleague, Trade Union Congress President Festus Usifo, bemoaned the Federal Government’s slow approach to the palliative care issue. “The government said they will create alternatives and palliatives, it’s been over two months, and there is no sense of urgency,” the TUC president said. “3,000 buses are insufficient; if the government has saved one trillion in two months, why can’t this money be used to address these alternatives?”

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