The Trade Union Congress has called on the federal government to cut down waste in order to improve workers’ lives.
President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo made this call in an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday.
Osifo emphasised the principles of negotiation, saying that “negotiation is not emotion.”
Noting that the government brought up the issue of affordability, Osifo said the union has urged the government to cut waste and improve workers’ lives.
The TUC boss said, during a recent meeting, the union communicated its readiness to wait until midnight for an improved offer, but left knowing no progress would be made.
He said, “The marching orders would have been given before now because we gave a lot of signals to trigger the authorities to act.”
Speaking on the union’s approach to the strike, he said, “There could be different reasons why Nigerians want to embark on strike but for us in the labour congress it is a weighty decision before we go on strike.”
He further mentioned that, during the strike, efforts were made to minimise disruption by allowing students to take exams and ensuring some hospitals remained open.
Osifo criticised the government’s proposal of a ₦60,000 minimum wage as final, pushing for a higher amount and arguing that workers cannot wait for two months for a new minimum wage while suffering.
He stated, “The workers are suffering, so it deserves the urgency of the moment.”
He said the industrial action was a success as three key outcomes were achieved; government’s acknowledgment that they could go beyond N60,000, a commitment to conclude negotiations within a week, and increased attention from the president, who gave marching orders to address the issue.
Osifo expressed hope that a resolution respecting the principle of negotiation would be reached within a week.
He demanded for retrofitting public transport to CNG to reduce transportation costs by up to 70%, which would benefit various sectors in Nigeria.
The TUC boss said the union would engage the government on electricity tariffs, an issue that has not been addressed since their ultimatum on May 1st.
Osifo concluded by emphasising the need for proactive involvement in addressing national issues to prevent industrial actions, stating, “Strike in any part of the world always brings economic losses.”
This article is sourced from The Vanguard newspaper, with minor edits and adaptations by The Spectacles for clarity and readability.
