FG, Labour set to resume talks on subsidy removal today

Federal Government representatives and Labour leaders will today resume talks on petrol subsidy removal palliatives, it was confirmed on Sunday.

Both parties are expected to harmonise some of the demands put forward by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

According to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachallom Daju, the parties will reconvene at the presidential Villa, Abuja, by 4pm.

When contacted yesterday, the permanent secretary said: “Yes, the meeting will hold on Monday (today) at the Presidential Villa by 4pm.”

On June 5, the organised Labour announced the suspension of its planned strike over the removal of subsidy on petroleum by the Federal Government.

The NLC served a strike notice, the day after President Bola Tinubu declared, in his inauguration address, that “fuel subsidy is gone.”

The president’s speech triggered a knee-jerk reaction from petrol marketers, who immediately hiked petrol pump price at filling stations.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) subsequently released a price template for the pump price of petrol for its outlet stations.

To avoid the strike, the government invited Labour leaders for dialogue on the way forward.

In the course of negotiations, the Labour centre tendered its demands to cushion the effect in pump price increase.

One of the demands was an increase in minimum wage for workers to N200, 000.

In response, the government team agreed to consider the demands put forward by organised Labour.

Both sides agreed to resume talks on the demands this week.