The crucial meeting between the Federal government and the representatives for Labour which kicked off yesterday in the hopes of finding a lasting solution ended in a stalemate.
The Government on its part is requesting that the NLC and TUC shelve their planned strike and keep things moving while the representatives for Labour want the decision on the increase in fuel price reversed.
The Federal Government had last Wednesday increased the price of fuel from the former price of N86.50 to the new price of N145 much to the chargrin of many.
According to Thisday sources in the meeting claim that the Labour representatives stated that they will only back down from their planned strike action if the federal government acted on the proposal for a review of the minimum wage, improved the palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel price hike on the citizenry, and if they reconstituted the board of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
The government who were willing to negotiate said that the review of minimum wage was next to impossible as government revenue had dropped due to the fall in oil prices. The Labour representatives stood their ground.
With both parties refusing to give in, the meeting ended with plans to resume negotiations on Tuesday 17th of May at 3pm.
The meeting was attended by the President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, the factional head of NLC, Mr. Joe Ajaero, President of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Mr. Igwe Achese, and President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Olabode Johnson.
Also present were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal; Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, President of the TUC, Mr. Bobboi Bala Kiagama, NLC General Secretary, Mr. Peter Ozo-Eson, and the acting General Secretary of Trade Union Congress, Mr. Simeso Amachree, among others.
According to Thisday, at the end of the, Wabba said “We discussed those issues, including the demands we made. Then government presented its position, but as you are aware, our organisations are very democratic so we need to go back and consult before our meeting tomorrow (today).”