Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
The Federal Government has rescheduled the meeting between the government team and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress to discuss the economy to Tuesday next week.
Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan confirmed the development in a text message on Saturday.
The government stated that the meeting would now hold at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige had announced on Friday that a government team would meet with NLC and TUC as well as other CSOs to discuss recent increase in electricity tariff and petrol price on Saturday.
Ngige had stated that the meeting, called on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, would provide the government team an opportunity to open its books to organised labour and explain why it took recent decisions.
But in the message by Akpan, the government noted that it became inevitable to reschedule the meeting since the leadership of organised labour and other civil society organisations were not likely to be available in one fold.
The message reads: “The meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 15th Sept at 10am. Venue is Banquet Hall of Presdential Villa.
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“This is to accommodate all participants.”
NLC President, Ayubba Wabba had said on Friday that the leadership of NLC would not attend the meeting earlier scheduled for today (Saturday) because it was too sudden.
Wabba had stated that the short notice given for the meeting by the government had made it impossible for labour leaders who are spread in different locations to attend.
Wabba had stated: “The information about the meeting was communicated by the minister of labour in the afternoon today.
“Due to the short notice it not possible for Labour leadership who are spread in different locations to attend.
“We have proposed a reschedule.”
