By Ken Chiwendu
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has given the Federal government a two-week ultimatum to reach agreement on negotiations over palliatives following the removal of fuel subsidy or face workers strike.
The TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifor who briefed t journalists in Abuja on Monday regretted that more than one month after the federal government set up technical committees on palliatives, nothing concrete had been done to give the workers a relief.
According to him, the slow speed with which the government is handling the issue was not what the union anticipated saying “a fast track action” would be required in the next two weeks otherwise it would be left with no other option than mobilise its members to down tools.
“Our position is that government should fast track action and processes are concluded to ensure that the sufferings of Nigerians are ameliorated.”
Osifor wondered how the federal government which gave a two month timeline to conclude discussions on the implementation of the palliatives had yet to come up with anything tangible, adding that the plight of Nigerians is pathetic and needed urgent attention.
“Government gave a timeline of eight weeks, begining from June 19, and if you do your calculation, eight weeks is going to be end by August 19.
“So far, we have stayed more than one month and we felt that we are not going at the speed we anticipated and we want the government to fast track action to ensure that between now and next two weeks all the committees must have submitted their report so that the Presidential Steering Committee can conclude its work immediately because we cannot continue to blow big, big grammar while Nigerians are suffering and people are trekking long distances to work.”
The TUC president advised on the cost of governance in view of the harsh economic conditions facing the country saying that elected leaders will need to show example by cutting down on expenditure.
Citing the case of the proposed N40 billion and N70 billion meant for the purchase of vehicles for National Assembly members and their welfare package , Osifor also said that workers will like to see President Bola Tinubu give a directive that none of his ministers appoint more than two aides.
“This is one of those things we felt that as trade Union Congress of Nigeria we must bring to the limelight and do everything possible to ensure government listens to us and that government fast tracks. TUC is ready to meet even at midnight and weekends.
“We are ready to work because the plight of Nigerian workers is our great concern because anything that will affect Nigerian workers is what we will fight to correct. Beyond the workers, it is also about the wellbeing of the masses because we have a lot of Nigerians that are today unemployed.
“So what we are canvassing across these technical committees is that anything that you put in place should have in the basket the issue alternative and cheaper energy like the CNG, palliatives that will better the lives of the people and the issue of reduction of cost governance.
The trade union leader said that cutting the cost of governance is of paramount importance because government cannot continue to ask the workers and the suffering masses to continuously tighten their belts while those in government feed fat .
“We have exceeded the belt holes while those in government have continuously increased their largesse. They must lead by example, the executive, legislative and judiciary arms government must lead from the front and Nigerians will follow them from behind.
“But a situation they are pushing a lot Nigerians into poverty line while they are living in opulence, we will not allow that to happen if the National Assembly cannot give clear-cut justification of what they doing, we will lead the entire Nigerian masses to besiege the chambers because for us we think that injury to one is an injury to all,” he said.
The TUC president also said that what Nigerians desire right now is for the government at the national and state levels to implement policies that can lead to reduction in cost of living rather than action to inflate it.
As a way to address the growing inflation and rising food prices, he advised that federal government should consider scrapping new excise duties imposed on goods.
“One of the greatest problems to our economy is the exchange rate and most of the goods consumed in the country today are imported.
“We call the federal government to come up with a good policy framework that will support the country’s exchange rate to bounce back
