VANGUARD
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, assured that the threat by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to shut down activities at all the branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over naira scarcity, has been arrested.
The Minister also said that the issue of pay rise for workers is being addressed, adding that the main thing now is the quantum of the pay rise.
This is as he has said that no one can stop migration and that there is migration from one continent to the other.
The NLC had directed all its chapters across the country to mobilize for a protest at all the branches of the CBN over the scarcity of naira that has brought untold hardship to the citizens.
However, the CBN delegation led by its governor, Godwin Emefiele and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, led by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaeo on Monday evening met with the minister in a bid to avert the strike.
But appearing on the weekly Ministerial Briefing, organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ngige, disclosed that dialogues, coordinated by his ministry, had happened and the CBN had taken steps to remedy the situation.
The Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, the Permernent Secretary, Kachollon Daju and other senior officials of the Ministry, said as at the moment, the issue to be discussed by NLC in National Executive Council meeting would no longer be issues of protest, which he said had already been apprehended.
According to him, “Now they have all answered our calls because we are the Chief Conciliators. In my opening remark I said I’ve noticed that there’s already a dialogue going on and there’s also implementation and the Nigerian Labour Congress agreed that there was some thawing at the surface of the icing that was there.
“They said they will call up their National Executive Council meeting because the initial decision to give that ultimatum was given by this same Council. Members of the Council reside in the states and in the local governments, so that they will come up today, which is Tuesday, the 28th, to review the situation because much as it is, the important thing is that we have emphasised to them that we have apprehended this dispute.
