The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed concern about the Federal Government’s promises to distribute wage awards to workers since the removal of the country’s petrol subsidy.

In a statement issued in response to the President’s national broadcast, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated that President Tinubu’s statement on working with Organized Labour to review the national minimum wage was out of sync with what had occurred since the removal of the petrol subsidy.

According to Ajaero, the claims of the Federal Government intervening through palliatives, loans, and conditional grants to poor Nigerians, large manufacturing companies, and small businesses, as well as the provision of CNG buses, remain “promises!”

Ajaero stated that Nigerians are accustomed to such promises, which have never resulted in verifiable and meaningful changes in citizens’ lives.

He also pointed out that the President made no mention of the need to repair the nation’s refineries at any point in his speech.

“In all the meetings scheduled by the government, Organised Labour has been forced to negotiate with empty chairs on the Federal Government’s side.

“As Federal Government has not matched its public promises with firm commitment to negotiate in good faith with labour.

“As a matter of fact, the sub-committee on wage award has not been inaugurated and has not met.

“Furthermore, organised labour is disturbed that while President Tinubu in his speech lavishly praised the Private Sector for quickly dispensing wage award to their employees, the Federal Government has failed to do the same for public workers in its employment.

“This is a clear case of failing woefully to live up to the standards it has set for others to meet”, he said, adding that it was an open knowledge that the review of the national minimum wage was a matter of the law that was expected to happen in 2024.

“How would Nigerian workers cope with the current reality of hyper inflation and suffering unleashed by the hasty removal of the so-called petrol subsidy till 2024 when the national minimum wage would be reviewed? This is incredible”, he said.

Ajaero urged the Federal Government to expose those responsible for the theft of Nigeria’s national wealth under the pretense of fuel subsidies.

“What Nigerians expected from Mr President is a firm commitment to bring these economic saboteurs to justice and recover what they have stolen”, Ajaero added.

He gave the people of Nigeria the reassurance that NLC would continue to be committed to aligning discussions with the government with the actual sufferings that Nigerians were currently experiencing.