NAIRA CRISIS: NLC INSISTS ON SEVEN-DAY ULTIMATUM
Written by Samson Ojeniran on March 15, 2023
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leadership, has reiterated its resolve to direct workers to stay away from the office if the Federal Government failed to address the cash scarcity and fuel shortage in the country.
The congress stated this in a communiqué issued on Tuesday after the inaugural meeting of its Central Working Committee in Abuja on Monday.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had on Monday, told labour correspondents at the opening session of the meeting that the union would direct workers to stay at home if the Federal Government failed to resolve the cash crunch and fuel scarcity within seven days.
But a few hours after the NLC gave the ultimatum, the CBN which had shunned the Supreme Court judgment on the new naira notes, directed banks to accept and dispense the old denominations.
Notwithstanding the new development, the congress in a statement on Tuesday said it might compel its members to withdraw their services if the government failed to make cash available within seven days.
The communiqué signed by Ajaero read:
In the period under review, three major issues have engaged the attention of the nation. They are presidential and national assembly elections; scarcity of PMS (petrol) and redesigning of the naira notes and its aftermath.
The CWC noted that elections have been held and we have made our broad observations in an earlier statement. It reiterated its earlier statement that those with issues with the outcome of the election utilise the court to seek redress.
The union accused the state of refusing to implement previous agreements reached between the state government and trade unions since 2021; 20 months’ salary arrears owed to some workers stigmatised as ghost workers; declaration of 11,000 workers in the state as ghost workers and diversion of their salaries and vandalisation of congress office and equipment by hoodlums allegedly recruited by the state government, among other allegations.
