The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that President Bola Tinubu’s government has shown enormous unfaithfulness in keeping to the agreements it signed with the labour unions on behalf of Nigerians.
The NLC in its New Year message signed by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero on Monday said that the Nigerian government has neither faithfully implemented the N35,000 Wage Award for Nigerian workers following the fuel subsidy removal nor has the Port Harcourt refinery come on stream as projected.
According to the labour union, the Nigerian government has not also inaugurated the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Council as agreed, alleging that the CNG has been distorted by agents of the government for the benefit of a few.
“This government has shown enormous unfaithfulness in keeping to agreements; the N35,000 Wage Award has not been faithfully implemented, the PH refinery has not come on stream as projected while the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Council has not been inaugurated as agreed, the CNG has been distorted by agents of government for the benefit of a few,” he said.
The NLC further said, “Divisions along our various primordial fault lines rather than heal became exacerbated this year mainly as a result of the unfortunate activities of Politicians who played them up in their bid to win elections.
“Our nation has therefore become more divided than ever with growing suspicion and increasing trust deficits along those lines.
“Citizens’ confidence in the government is therefore deeply wounded causing further disconnect between the people and governments as the government continues with policies that negate the welfare of citizens.
“We observe only a few pockets of progress in governance in some states but largely, the instruments of governance are mainly deployed for the sole benefits of those who believe they have captured the instruments of governance thus use them for their sole benefit.”
Ajaero described 2023 as a year when Nigerians saw the increasing use of violence and unrivalled propaganda as tools of engagement in the nation’s industrial relations sphere.
He said, “The boundary between the tools used in electioneering and in actual governance seems to have been ruptured as the same mindless violence and crudity witnessed during the last election cycle is now being used by those in government as a weapon in managing workplace relations in Nigeria.
“We have witnessed government’s interference in the internal affairs of trade unions all in a bid to capture the levers of power in these unions and use them to seek to hold the civic space in our nation hostage and thwart citizens’ efforts at holding the government accountable.
“It is in furtherance of these efforts by the government that the November 1st bestial abduction and brutalization of the President of Congress; Comrade Joe Ajaero and others by the Government and the Police in Owerri Imo state happened.
“NLC is surprised if there is an uncanny link between the attack on the President of the Congress and the stoppage of the implementation of the Wage Award as agreed in the October, 2nd MOU between the federal government and Organised Labour.
“Such coincidence is ominous and raises a lot of questions in our hearts further justifying strongly our belief that the conspiracies to mete out violence against trade union leaders including the President of Congress in Owerri goes to the very top.”
