FG, labour to meet on 15-point MoU implementation

• The meeting was at the behest of the office of the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila

The federal government will on Monday, October 30, meet with organised labour to discuss the progress made so far in the 15 point Memorandum of Understanding signed which led to the suspension of the indefinite strike planned for October 3, by organised labour.

The meeting was at the behest of the office of the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.

President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, at a briefing on Sunday in Abuja, said the meeting will appraise the progress made by the government in the last 30 days.

The signing of a 15 point MoU with Labour by the government led to the suspension of the planned strike on Oct 3 by Labour.

The NLC president said Labour would not attend any meeting with Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong in attendance.

Last week, the NLC accused the minister of plotting to thwart the agreement reached with the federal government.

Part of the agreement with the government was the resolution of the crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

The NLC accused the minister of siding with a faction of the NURTW leadership.

This has caused a cold blood between the minister and NLC.

Speaking with reporters, Ajaero said: “Hopefully we may meet tomorrow with the federal government all things being equal on their report and template whether all those issues have been met in the last 30 days if that meeting holds without the minister of Labour because he will not be present in any meetings with us.

“Any meeting the federal government calls today with the minister of Labour and employment that meeting will not hold.

“You have noticed of late that meetings are no longer called by the minister of Labour because he is not in control. Therefore to depend on him for resolutions on issues about Labour is to waste our time.

“For tomorrow’s meeting, the invitation we got was from the office of the chief of staff to the president and that is where previous meetings have been held.

“The current minister of Labour we have has no place in the current industrial relations we are having in Nigeria.

“On the issue of cng they have launched it. Maybe they are trying to fulfill a part of the agreement we had with them. Tomorrow we will hear from them and see how it goes.”