Senate Mediates between NLC, FG Face-off * Speaker meets with striking NLC, appeals for living wage

Senate Mediates between NLC, FG Face-off

* Speaker meets with striking NLC, appeals for living wage

*NLC: We are open to negotiations but strike continues

The Senate today intervened in the face-off between the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the federal government over the recent hike in the pump price of petrol from N86.50 to N145.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has also met with national executives of the NLC over the ongoing strike against the removal of fuel subsidy.

After a meeting with the leadership of NLC today, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the Senate had called the meeting to find a lasting solution to the crisis caused by the hike in the price of petrol.

Saraki also said he was happy to hear from the labour leaders that they were open to dialogue.

According to him, "The meeting with the leadership of NLC was part of the moves to finding lasting solution to the impasse as well as to bring an end to the impending strike and disagreement with government.

"I am happy to report that the NLC has shown their commitment to continue dialogue with government, and our role is to see that we facilitate that so that through dialogue, we can address the issues.

“I am encouraged by what they have said and confident that we would be able to do this. I know when they leave here, they are also going to meet with the House of Representatives and right now, as they are in the Senate, we play our own role in facilitating and ensuring that we can bring the two parties together and find a lasting solution that will reduce the hardships that Nigerians are going through.

Also, Dogara, in his opening remarks, before retreating into a closed door session, appealed to labour to suspend the ongoing strike, noting that the change promised by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government means things would be done differently.

According to the speaker, “It may not matter if two or three persons protest against the policies of the government, in democracy, there is always dialogue. Aspirations of citizens are supposed to be part of progress.

““When citizens only see democracy as a chance to push through their individual needs, they can shatter the country,” as he harped on the need for sacrifice by the citizens.

The Speaker, after meeting with the NLC leaders, also appealed for the payment of a living wage for workers. He told journalists that a living wage would reduce the harsh effects of the hike in pump price of petrol, appealing to labour to suspend the ongoing strike.  

"Workers should be paid a living wage. We appealed to labour to look into this issue again and do the right thing. We have to look at the national interest in all our actions in order to suspend this strike or call it off entirely," Dogara stated.

 

The NLC, on its part, said it was open to further negotiations with the federal government but insisted that the ongoing strike would continue until the government reviews the price of petrol downward.

NLC Chairman, Ayuba Wabba, denied the allegation that his team walked out of a meeting with the federal government.

He said there was no attempt to walk out on the government, explaining that what transpired at the last meeting was NLC's sheer disagreement with the government position.

Wabba said the discussions with the Speaker have been fruitful and that the NLC would resume negotiations with government, adding that the struggle was in the interest of all Nigerian workers whom he said were the victims of the hike in fuel price.

"They have called us to actually brief them about what transpired and that is where we are now, which we have already done. In essence, what we did was to try to give a preview of the process we have followed to arrive at the stalemate we had.