The organised labour has kicked against the plan by the Bola Tinubu government to pay N8000 monthly to 12 million households to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
The Federal Government had announced that it would transfer the sum of 8000 a month to 12 million poor and low-income households for a period of six months with a multiplying effect on about 60 million individuals.
The government also stated that the money would be transferred directly to identified beneficiaries’ accounts.
Reacting to the development, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, faulted President Tinubu’s plans to give palliative to Nigerians, saying that the action runs contrary to the works of the Presidential Technical Committee on the removal of Subsidy.
Osifo argued that it is not only undemocratic but shows that the president is merely setting up the committee as a window dressing for whatever purposes he has set out for himself.
In a chat with Vanguard on Thursday, Osifo said, “Any palliative payment must be in line with the agreement reached with labour in line with the technical committee meeting.”
Also speaking, a senior officer of NLC who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president has already made up his mind regarding the plan to give palliative to Nigerians and didn’t consult with organised labour.
He said, “The issue is whether the President has trust and confidence in the Steering Committee set up or not. If he has a budget already, it means that he already has activities he has planned on his own. If he has that, what is the need of the Committees? The action of the President has actually undermined the credibility of his own Committee
“We believe that it is not only undemocratic but shows that the President is merely setting up the committee as a window dressing for whatever purposes he has set out for himself.
“When you also look at what he has planned, to give N8,000 to households for six months which approximates to N48, 000, you ask yourself, can N48,000 address the millions of suffering the government has already inflicted on the poor?
“Will it make any significant impact in addressing the consequences already being faced by Nigerians? Will the suffering suddenly end after six months?”