Tinubu, released a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, urging the labour congress to give him more time to evaluate their issues before embarking on a statewide strike.
If the Nigeria Labour Congress follows through on its threat to strike on August 2, the Federal Government may execute the court decision barring organised labour from striking over the withdrawal of gasoline subsidies in May.
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Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, revealed Tinubu’s request to State House Correspondents after taking some House officers to update the President on the outcome of their engagement with the National Association of Resident Doctors, which has launched a strike.
Following the threat by organised labour, the Federal Government convened an emergency meeting with the NLC and the Trade Union Congress on Wednesday evening at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
However, in a press conference, Abbas stated that Tinubu requested time to assess the points highlighted by workers, on which he has yet to be briefed.
“What he (Tinubu) said is that he’s just coming on board,” Abbas explained. We should beg and plead with them to give him a little more time.
The Speaker indicated that the House leadership invited NARD following their plan to strike, and that the MPs were successful in convincing the union to call off the strike.
“Following our meeting with them, they gave us a series of conditions that we felt we needed to share with the President,” he explained.
When asked what the House was doing to prevent the Nigeria Labour Congress from carrying out the August 2 protests, Abbas responded, “In the same manner, the same way, we will also invite them to come and sit so that we can hear their grievances and then we follow the same pattern of engaging and persuading them to give us a little time so that we can be able to meet their expectations.”
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However, the NLC announced on Wednesday that if the government fails to accept all of its requests, including the right to strike, it will call a statewide strike on August 2.
The demands included, the immediate reversal of all “anti-poor policies such as the hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit; increase in public schools’ fees; increase in Value Added Tax among others.
