 The federal government has appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, to shelf its planned strike schedule to start next Wednesday, saying it was doing everything possible to address issues raised by the labour movement on the removal of fuel subsidy. The appeal came against the backdrop of the strike notice announced by Labour movement, giving the federal government a seven-day ultimatum to address what it described as anti-people policies of face industrial action. Speaking after the staring committee meeting on palliatives, the special advisor to the president on energy, Olu Verhejan, pleaded with Labour to give the federal government more time to look into its grievances rather than embark on industrial action. She explained that the government was yet to roll out palliatives because it did not want to make mistakes, adding that the meeting with organised labour was productive. If I agreed to continue to make progress, it was a very productive meeting. The focus was really around how we fast-track a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG mass transportation, cleaner energy transportation and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation, the increased cost of transportation. So we've made good progress and we're going to continue to do so so that we can start rolling out these opportunities and these relief and measures as quickly as possible. However, the Labour Union said they would still embark on the planned strike and mass protests should the government fail to meet its demands. Recall that the NLC in the communique at the end of its Central Working Committee meeting held on Tuesday, July 25, at Labour House Abuja also demanded the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Staring Committee as agreed in their earlier engagements. The outcome is very brief. We met based on a 520 increase and the committee that was set based on that and we agreed to work to realise the objectives that were set during that moment. What government will do is to address the plight of Nigerians. Nigerians are suffering, just as we said in our press conference few days ago, that Nigerians are suffering, the things are hard, the things are difficult and because things are difficult today in Nigeria, you must roll out programmes to ameliorate the suffering because at the end of the day, it is about Nigerians because government exists in order to take care of the Dantro Dunes majorly. So all we are saying is that government must as a matter of urgency because we don't have that time anymore. So as a matter of urgency, must roll out various programmes that we create alternative to PMS and also palliatives. So these are the two focus, alternative to PMS that is about the CNG and also the palliatives that must be brought out to ameliorate the sufferings that Nigerians are passing.