 Thank you for staying with us. It's still the breakfast on the plus TV Africa and we're going to take our next hot topic in the short time that we have NLC TUC issue 14-day ultimatum to federal government over non-implementation of Agreements you remember that also this morning we saw the headlines that both the NLC and TUC and the federal government differ on Implementation of the agreement, but we have here to discuss this with us Comrade is male at Dejumon chairman Ratau Lagos and PR O NLC Lagos. Good morning, and welcome to the program comrade Good morning for having me this It's my pleasure to be here. Good morning. Thank you for joining us. Okay, so what's the update right now? All we know is that the NLC TUC has said that after 14 days. They may be a strike. What's the current development? Thank you very much. I was one in a station. I think two weeks ago where we discussed about this Delay in the inauguration of the trepidate committee That we live to the negotiation for the new minimum wage, but we call it a new Living wage not minimum wage anymore because the situation is getting out of hand, but be that as it may The medial liberal congress leadership and the trade union congress leadership TUC have been very very Petrotic and I've been working closely in line with the government in order to ensure that there is no crisis whatsoever that can the you know skyrockets across the nation as a result of this current economy actually You know arising from the subsidy remover another neoliberal economy policy of this current government, but As you can also read from the news yesterday the leadership met after careful consideration Of all the agreement initially signed with the government we realize that this agreement have not been fulfilled and That of the trepidate committee as they said to have been upgraded They've come yes work at this that one aside, but the initial agreement that has to do with the wage award That was signed to cushion the effect of the subsidy remover that has not been addressed By the government in a manner that would be post confidence in the leadership In fact as I speak majority of workers in some sectors have no even hand their salary for a month of January and it's becoming a You know an issue that the leadership have to you know, so into action And the only instrument that I told you earlier on that we deploy when you should get to this level is to reach one of the Maitrena doesn't add in a third without a pause of the people in the community We are one of us reside in the society at large things are not getting easy at all The inflation rate is is as a completely erudite Whatever anybody's earning at this moment so one government to be more proactive and to be Genuine and sincere in delivering or not this Nisha agreement miss especially that has to do with which award the issue of a binary And all other agreement that have been signed and all these things We are more concerned to to engage the government to ensure that all these things are delivered timely That is the essence of this a ultimate home to to let government be more, you know Active and deliver timely. So these were promises Revenue and doodling as according to them, but we want them to be more committed to the plight of the general workers and masses Okay, so here is my concern Over time you hear NLC if you're an ultimate home saying they are gonna go on strike and after a while Nothing is being done. So they don't go on strike the federal government never, you know Put in place all of the things that they said they will so the agreements are not being met And then it seems like it's a charade that happens to over and over again So NLC will threaten we're going on strike. We give you a 14-day ultimatum We give you a 21-day ultimatum whatever the case might be but then nothing is being done Don't you think the federal government sees through this Charade if it may if I can call it that and they know that nothing is going to be done So they still go ahead and not Not implement all of the things that have been stated in the agreement Thank you very much for that question We in the labor movement, we are bound by rules and regulation We are not just like civil society organization that can just enter streets or start protest at the short notice So we have to explore all the you know the framework Set out in our constitution before we embark on any protest or Industration so we have been very careful not to aggravate the very tense atmosphere in the country but With the situation of things at the moment the leadership felt the government need to do more and that is why this Ultimatum was issued previously We know government have not been you know the very very sincere with the labor movement in terms of You know fulfilling agreement and when we saw any time we observe this coming We swing it to action and then we deploy the instrument we have and which is to notify them that you are not Serenading on all the agreement you have signed with us So the masses are aware which we are aware they too. They are very much aware So it's not left for the masses and the government to know that they have not been really doing well with the labor leadership So we implored them to be more sincere and fulfill agreement because they are the one that should serve the pace For us if we violate the rules immediately you see they go to court to get an injunction to restrain us From going on strike and everybody's a living witness Oh, it's not that we enjoy going on strike But we always won't go mean to do the needful at the right time So strike is the last option that is available for us to down to you have only series of instrument we use but at the moment the government the federal and the state to domesticate and implement the Agreement with the labor leadership. These are these this issue of subsidiary mobile policies and all other Matters signed have been issued. So that is our position. We are not Anti-government and we are not Antagonist so to say we are pressure groups People messy pressure group. So we we implored the government to do the needful timely so that Nigeria can smile because the situation at the moment is not palatable at all Okay, you just confirmed that the trapezoid community has just been set up and you applaud the government for that What if the terms of reference also included how to make sure that these? Wage award is paid as well Are you doubly sure that they don't have this as part of their their terms of reference so that You can give them more time than the 14 days that you have given to the federal government No, these are with our dissent What we had from the honorable minister of labor was that there are a lot of a maybe Shortfall in the budget for the last year And I believe they have made necessary budgetary allocation to augment all the payments across the sector out of the Since September the face September and October for the wager what that of an October and November December with this January as I should be about four months Arias This February so it is a matter that has been set to they are They just have to clear the backlog no matter what It has been set to but when the challenges in pain In fulfilling it and it is this course and it is in the public space domain So we will be very very At least open with them let everybody justify why they cannot pay that with your world within the stipulated time Before we're not going to the issue of minimum wage issue of minimum wage is a matter It's a constitutional matter to the dealer that it is by April the minimum wage Currently relapsed and that is why the government quickly inaugurated our committee Few weeks back to commence the process of negotiation so that will come with an Agreement to what is the actual amount that would be the the benchmark for minimum wage in Nigeria and the respective state Can now go and domesticate because the government also have their representative in the committee the private sector have the representative there It is a robust committee. So Let them work seriously and come up with a living wage for us So what are your demands? What are your demands in case we get to the 14 days that you've given the federal government and They say okay We can only pay one month and keep paying little by little until we play the backlog Will you accept that or you're thinking that after the 14 days the four months that you're being owed must be paid Otherwise you're going on strike. What are some of the things that government can do and then you still give them some more time? We open for negotiation Discussion dialogue that is the the mechanism in industrial relation so if they call the leadership and put all parameters and indices on the table that okay These are the challenges we are facing at the moment. We are committed to paying this amount of this money But we are having some budgetary short for some other challenges. So give us more time then Give them the benefit of doubt, but if the everybody we know that they are the one that is defaulting from doing the needful We are open to that. We are not going to be Martin can say okay. We are not going to agree with them The economy we are all partners in building this economy. We create the work of this mission as they are the workers We are doing a creative weapon. So we are also entitled to the part of this a National resources because some of them are any fabulously the national assembly can see their budget allocation Yeah, the the percentage in the increment the also for the executive and judiciary. So why are we the public service? in the Government and the private sector will not be bearing the brunt of Patient which will be patient patient for how long most so many people have died in this course of this struggle But we implore the government and believe in our president is back now fully And he has been given a lot of matching order to all the critical sector that are consigned I want to give him that the benefit of that before now and the ending of this month He should be able to clear this backlog of a Wage award and then we'll be focused and looking Very very open into the new living wage that is coming on stream hopefully by God grace in April All right. Thank you so much comrades is male at Digimo for coming on the program We hope that the government will do the needful. We don't want another strike. We have never wanted a strike We we we want a situation where the workers will always be satisfied and our country will move on The way it should but good luck to you. We are rooting for you That's what thank you very much. Thank you very much. We are part nine progress Yes, I will continue to be a part nine place who coblost TV plus For your TV say this one plus TV. Thank you. Thank you very much We're talking to come ready smell at Digimo chairman Rata Lagos and PR o NLC Lagos state We're hoping that when the 14 days come we will not experience a strike action from NLC and TUC we're hoping that the lives of Nigerians will be better not just the members of NLC or TUC and In the coming days God help us. This is where we'll draw the curtain on today's brought on today's Program, and we hope that you're going to join us again on Monday. Yeah, until then. My name is Nyam Ghul at Gadji Happy weekend. My name is Roman Paul. So you have a good weekend