The Nigeria Labour Congress has threatened to boycott its meeting with the Federal Government on Monday, October 30, 2023, if the Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong, attends.
NLC President Joe Ajaero issued the threat while briefing journalists in Abuja on Sunday after a meeting to discuss the plights of workers in Imo State. Ajaero criticized Lalong for failing to establish a cordial relationship with organized labor.
“Hopefully, we may meet tomorrow (Monday) with the Federal Government to see whether the agreement with organized labor on the fuel subsidy removal palliatives was met or not,” Ajaero said.
“If that meeting is to hold, it will be without the Minister of Labour and Employment, because we will not be part of any meeting with the Federal Government that the Minister of Labour and Employment will attend.”
Ajaero also accused the Imo State Government of violating the rights of workers in the state. He claimed that Governor Hope Uzodimma has neglected their welfare, and that many of them have died due to the alleged lack of payment of their salaries.
Ajaero outlined some of the infractions against workers by the Imo State Governor, including alleged refusal to implement previous agreements especially the accord reached on January 9, 2021.
Others are outstanding salary arrears of about 20 months, unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, declaration of pensioners as ghost workers and unsettled gratuity arrears.
Ajaero claimed that approximately 10,000 pensioners have been wrongly labeled as ghost pensioners, resulting in over 22 months of unpaid pensions, while about 11,000 workers have been branded by the Imo State Government as ghost workers.
The NLC President also lamented the non-compliance with the national minimum wage by the state government, claiming that Governor Uzodinma has resisted the use of social dialogue and collective bargaining to resolve the issues.
