Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, says he will
be surprised if the National Labour Congress (NLC) goes ahead with the planned
protest.
The NLC had threatened to go on a two-day protest on July 26
and 27 in solidarity with the strike by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
ASUU had been on strike since February 14, with parties
involved running into gridlock over issues bordering on funding universities,
as well as on salaries and allowances of lecturers.
But speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Ngige said it is
against international labour practice for the congress to embark on such a
protest.
The minister said the NLC has representatives on the
negotiation with ASUU, adding that the congress is privy to all discussions
with the university lecturers’ union.
“It is a very incongruous situation I must tell you. Why?
NLC is on the table of the discussion. They are there. I invited them as the
head of the federation to which ASUU belongs, to which SSANU belongs, to which
NAAT belongs,” he said.
“I invited them. And so, they are on the table as their
senior partner. That’s one. Two, we have a National Labour Advisory Council
inaugurated in January 2021. It is an ILO instrument, an ILO architecture for
labour unions, governments, and the private sector to come together at any
given time.
“So, we’ve just
finished our meeting in March, and this issue was tabled before them. And the
NLC is in NLAC, the National Labour Advisory Council, and much more
importantly, the head of NLC, Nigeria, has an affiliate of workers federation,
worldover called International Trade Union Congress.
“So, I will be surprised if he’s going ahead with his NEC to
do a demonstration, knowing fully well that that is not permissible in
international labour parlance.”
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