A meeting between the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the federal government concluded without reaching an agreement on Wednesday. The discussions took place at the Aso Presidential Villa and focused on how to avert a labor crisis resulting from the recent increase in petrol pump prices due to the removal of petroleum subsidy.

Following the meeting, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, stated, “As far as labour is concerned, we didn’t have a consensus in this meeting.”

He criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited for releasing an official statement earlier in the day, which revised the petrol pump prices at its filling stations nationwide. Ajaero expressed that this action puts the labor unions in a difficult position during the negotiation process.

“That’s the principle of negotiation. You don’t put the partner, ask them to negotiate under gunpoint.

“The prayers of the NLC is that we go back to status quo, negotiate, think of alternatives and all the effects and how to manage the effects this action is going to have on the people, if it is an action that must take off.

“The subsidy provision has been made up to the end of June. And before then, conscious people, labour management, government, should be able to think of what will happen at the end of June. You don’t start it before the time,” Ajaero said.

Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government, Dele Alake stated that the negotiations are currently in progress and that the parties involved will meet again at a later date, which has yet to be determined.