The federal government has conveyed its assurance that the labour unions will postpone their planned industrial action, which was initially set to commence on Wednesday.

Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, made this statement to reporters after a private meeting with the union leaders on Tuesday in Abuja.

He mentioned that the unions have accepted the proposition for palliatives aimed at mitigating the impact of the fuel subsidy removal. These palliatives were announced on Monday by President Bola Tinubu during a nationwide broadcast.

‘‚We appealed to labour to call off the strike tomorrow. And they all agreed that Mr President’s broadcast was a welcome development and they will go back home to talk to the leaders that are not here today.

‘’So, we are hopeful that they will do the right thing and call off the strike tomorrow,’’ he said. 

Mr. Festus Osifo, the National President of the Trade Union Congress, stated that the meeting with the federal government was productive, considering the broadcast made by the President on Monday.

He explained that government representatives informed the unions that the various palliatives proposed by the President were just the starting point, and additional palliatives would be implemented in the future.

“For us, we felt that the President has said that N1 trillion has been saved in the last two months, so what he proposed is not far reaching.

“Now, as part of the principle of negotiation, when anything is put on the table, you’ll accept it but push for more.

“So on our path, we’ve said that what you put on the table is not enough, and that they can do more.

“We think, for example, that 3,000 buses are not sufficient. By the time you divide 3,000 by 37, you will see how many they would come up to,’’ he said.