On Monday, the Minister of Labor and Employment, Simon Lalong, urged the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to postpone their two-day warning strike scheduled to commence on Tuesday.
According to NewsNow, the Minister made this request in Abuja, outlining several reasons for the appeal. These reasons included the potential reversal of the FG’s previous achievements. He also pledged to comprehensively address the concerns raised by the NLC if given time to settle into his new role.
Lalong emphasized the importance of suspending the proposed strike, stating, “It has become pertinent to appeal to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend its intended two-day warning strike, as such action would be detrimental to the gains already being recorded on our course to securing a greater future for Nigerian workers and citizens at large.
He further requested the NLC leadership to allow the government time to address the issues thoroughly. He highlighted that the newly sworn-in cabinet members are actively engaging with their respective ministries and that he is being briefed on the concerns raised by the NLC, with plans to address them holistically in the coming weeks.
Assuring Nigerian workers of the government’s commitment, Lalong reiterated the administration’s dedication to policies aimed at generating massive employment across all sectors while addressing immediate challenges that have emerged from government policies. He emphasized the need for industrial peace in achieving these objectives.
Additionally, Lalong acknowledged that the ministry had not received the required notification of the planned strike from the NLC as per the law. The ministry, however, planned to meet with the labor leaders at 3 p.m. on Monday to discuss halting the proposed strike.