Barely 48 hours before the planned nationwide protest by the labour unions, The Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives is currently meeting representatives of the Organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Monday’s meeting which began at 05:30 pm will consider presentations from FG’s subcommittees on Mass Transit, Compressed Natural Gas and Cash Transfer.
Last Friday, the organised labour stormed out of a meeting on Friday last week, claiming that the FG was not ready for the meeting.
“They are not prepared for the meeting. That’s the truth,” a member of the labour representatives told journalists.
Punch reporrted that the botched meeting was to take briefing from three subcommittees of mass transit, the CNG and cash transfer which the government had proposed to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.
Present at the meeting are President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero; his counterpart from TUC, Festus Osifo; the General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja; TUC Secretary, Nuhu Toro and other members of the organised labour delegation including Prof. Sam Amadi.
On the FG’s side are the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, among others.