Cash scarcity: NLC backs down on planned protest, gives two weeks grace period

OBIORA IFOH, and SYLVESTER AKOR, Abuja

 

The organised labour yesterday suspended its planned strike slated for today over cash and fuel scarcity that has put Nigerians in a hard situation for about a month and some weeks now in the country.

 

The labour union, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the decision to suspend the planned strike was to monitor the progress made in the release of the naira notes for two more weeks before it can take action on the situation.

 

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, who addressed newsmen at the end of the congress National Executive Meeting (NEC) meeting in Abuja Tuesday said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has complied with the directives given to it by the congress, stating that there was no reason to hurriedly embark on strike.

 

He however said if the progress made so far is not sustained and improved upon, congress may take the necessary action at the end of the two weeks.

 

The Congress president said, “A day or two after we briefed you here the CBN deputy governors came here and we had a fruitful meeting with them and we gave them proposals on how best to solve the problem, immediately after that they swung into action and they have done averagely well.

 

“With reports coming from all the states of the Federation, and local governments on the level of compliance of banks,  we’re happy to tell you that yes, there is compliance by CBN”.

 

“After the NEC meeting, we doubted the sustainability of that compliance and we don’t want to be calling you back after two days, we want to monitor this compliance for the next two weeks to see whether it is sustainable because they are forced to move money to commercial banks and some of those commercial banks are getting empty again, queues are returning in some of them, so it will be very naive for the congress to horribly call off the action, whereas we’re not shutting down tomorrow”.

 

“We want to loosen up for another two weeks, with committees set up at the national level and in all the states of the Federation to coordinate the level of compliance”, he said

 

Recall that the NLC, at the expiration of the 7-day ultimatum given to the government, has said it would be Wednesday to begin a nationwide strike and picketing of CBN offices across the country.

 

It said the mobilisation for the strike would begin with the state councils meeting on Friday this week in readiness for full action on Wednesday next week.

 

President of NLC, Joe Ajaero who addressed newsmen in Abuja yesterday said the resolved action would be total until further notice.

 

He said: “Last week at the end of our CWC meeting, we gave a one-week ultimatum for the federal government to address immediately, among other issues, the issue of cash crunch that was caused by the policy.

 

“As of this morning when the Central Working Committee (CWC) met again to review the situation, we discovered that not much, improvement has been made.

 

“The situation is still almost the same. People are still buying our currency with our currencies. People still can not assess the currency and the government seems to be very adamant about this. No moves have been made to reduce the suffering of Nigerians.

 

“Consequently, the CWC-in-session resolved to go into the process of actualizing the one-week notice.

 

“From Friday, there will be mobilisation of all state councils through an NEC meeting. All unions have already been directed to mobilise all their organs and their branches.

 

“By Wednesday, next week, all Central Bank of Nigeria offices nationwide will be picketed.

 

“All central banks from the CBN headquarters will be shut till further notice. Workers are directed to stay at home and join in the picketing exercise.

 

“We call on Nigerians to understand the circumstances we’re operating in. People will be telling you about the political situation.

 

“The political situation is self-inflicted and the economic situation is worst than the political situation because people cannot eat.

 

“Workers can no longer go to the office and nothing is happening. So we have been pushed to the wall having given one week and we thought they could address the situation which is not addressed.

 

“We have decided to take our destiny into our hands. So, comrades, the mobilisation commences immediately and when we talk of action from Wednesday, it’s total. Until further notice”,

 

On the just concluded elections across the country, the NLC president said the process was characterised by irregularities, violence and vote buying, saying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not what it should be.

 

He urged the Nigerian courts to do justice with issues before them for peace to reign while enjoining  Nigerians to be patient with the process.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, assured that the threat by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to shut down activities at all the branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over naira scarcity, has been arrested.

 

The Minister also said that the issue of a pay rise for workers is being addressed, adding that the main thing now is the quantum of the pay rise.

 

The NLC had directed all its chapters across the country to mobilize for a protest at all the branches of the CBN over the scarcity of naira that has brought untold hardship to the citizens.

 

However, the CBN delegation led by its governor, Godwin Emefiele and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, led by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaeo on Monday evening met with the minister in a bid to avert the strike. NLC has also called off the strike.

 

But appearing on the weekly Ministerial Briefing, organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ngige, disclosed that dialogues, coordinated by his ministry, had happened and the CBN had taken steps to remedy the situation.

 

The Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, the Permanent Secretary, Kachollon Daju and other senior officials of the Ministry, said at the moment, the issue to be discussed by NLC in the National Executive Council meeting would no longer be issues of protest, which he said had already been apprehended.

 

According to him, “Now they have all answered our calls because we are the Chief Conciliators. In my opening remark, I said I’ve noticed that there’s already a dialogue going on and there’s also implementation and the Nigerian Labour Congress agreed that there was some thawing at the surface of the icing that was there.

 

“They said they will call up their National Executive Council meeting because the initial decision to give that ultimatum was given by this same Council. Members of the Council reside in the states and the local governments so that they will come up today, which is Tuesday, the 28th, to review the situation because much as it is, the important thing is that we have emphasised to them that we have apprehended this dispute.

 

“By Section 7:8 of the Trade Dispute Act, once the Minister apprehends and starts conciliation on it, you maintain status quo ante bellum. So they have gone back now to review the situation. If they’re not satisfied with what they see, they will come back to me and I’ll invite the CBN again.

 

“But for now, the issue of discussion is no longer strike, the issue of discussion is implementation and how far it’s gone and how far it affects Nigerian workers and the general population.

 

“So that is it, the final decision will be done today by NEC and they will then do a resolution, of course, inform me and CBN what their resolution is. But like I said, we have apprehended and we are now conciliating”, he assured.

 

Senator Ngige said the issue of a pay rise for the Nigerian workers is being addressed and that the issue going on now is the quantum of money for the pay raise.

 

He also said that the amount to be paid will be based on the availability of funds and the ability to pay

 

For a better society

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