Kachikwu pleads with labour to shun strike

The minister of state for petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has been meeting with labour unions to resolve the issues relating to the fuel price hike. Following the meeting, the NLC raised objection on the composition of the board of the PPPRA and the government told them that work would be done on that. Regarding the planned industrial action, the government has reached an understanding with NUPENG and PENGASSAN, who have supported the move by government to hike the price of petrol. 

The minister of state for petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has been making frantic efforts on behalf of the federal government to persuade the organised labour to shun its plans to shut down the economy from Wednesday, May 18, should the government fail to revert the pump price of petrol to the pre-May 11 price of N86.50, by midnight of Tuesday, May 17.

The minister of state for petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has been
trying to persuade the organised labour to shun its planned strike.

“We have been meeting with the labour unions in  our bid to  carry them along on this matter. But government is ready to engage them further to ensure that we are on the same page in the interest of the nation,” a source familiar with the efforts to broker peace with labour told Vanguard. “The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, had been meeting with the labour unions. NLC, TUC, PENGASSAN and  NUPENG were all involved in the meeting that had in attendance the Minister and the National Assembly leadership. You will notice that NUPENG and PENGASSAN have supported the move by government to hike the price of petrol,” he said. The source however noted that the NLC had raised objection on the composition of the Board of the PPPRA and that the government told them that work would be done on that.

The source further disclosed that the government has reached an understanding of the NUPENG and PENGASSAN, noting that it is now NLC and TUC that have refused to compromise. Meanwhile, the umbrella body for private sector employers in the country, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has faulted the plan by labour to go on strike, urging the private sector employees to ignore the strike directive and go about their normal businesses.