Fuel Subsidy: Increase Minimum, TUC Tells FG

To cushion the effect of petrol subsidy removal on citizens, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has urged the federal government to increase the minimum wage.

The union also charged the FG to effect a tax holiday for certain categories of people as well as reverting to status quo.

A federal government delegation, who met the TUC team at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Sunday night said the the demands would be presented to President Bola Tinubu with immediate effect

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the spokesperson for the government’s delegation, Dele Alake, said the organised labour demands “are not impracticable”.

Alake said the president’s decisions will be relayed to labour leaders at the next round of negotiations fixed for Tuesday.

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Asked if the other demand by the organised labour that the new pump price of petrol be reversed pending conclusion of negotiations, Alake said the decision would likely be taken on Tuesday when both sides meet again.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was absent at the meeting.

On NLC’s absence, he said it may be attributed to the inability to finalise with the NEC of the union before the meeting.

Nonetheless, negotiations will continue with all labour unions and stakeholders, he said.

Speaking to journalists, Festus Osifo, TUC president, said while some progress has been made with the negotiations, the union would still brief its members ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

He declined to give a full list of the demands presented to the government on the grounds that the union wants to continue negotiating in good faith as the government delegation also did not reveal details of its own side of the meeting.