The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has defended its use of ultimatums as a last resort, stating that it prefer dialogue and aim for “the right things to be done,” not unnecessary disruptions.
Responding to public criticism on Channels TV’s “The Morning Brief,” NLC’s Head of International Relations, Uchenna Ekwe, stressed that ultimatums follow repeated, private reminders to the government about outstanding agreements.
“Usually people see when NLC starts putting warning and if you notice the comments, people will say we don’t want a strike, it will disrupt. Balancing all these, Let me make this clear, the NLC is actually never interested in a strike, we don’t want a strike; we want the right things to be done,” Ekwe said.
“Before you see us issue a public ultimatum, there must have been many communications that are not meant public to the government system calling their attention to probably an agreement like in this case.”
The recent ultimatum, issued jointly with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), demands the fulfilment of a 16-point agreement reached in October 2023. This pact, according to Ekwe, has seen limited progress, with several points, including wage awards, partially or entirely ignored by various states.
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The NLC officer dismissed concerns about playing to the gallery. He said that such actions offer no benefit to workers or citizens. He specifically criticised the palliative measures taken by most states, calling them “ridiculous.”
The organised labour said that it is giving the Federal Government 14 days starting from today, February 9 to February 14, 2024, to fulfil its part of the understanding with the labour unions.
