By Victor AhiumaYoung & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

The Trade Union Congress, TUC, has decried the endless naira scarcity, devaluation and hyper inflation that have worsened the mass poverty and suffering across the country.

Consequently, it urged the federal government to find immediate solutions to the problems.

The union also faulted government’s refusal to honour agreement it entered into with organised labour on October 2, 2023, advising it to implement the agreement to avoid unpleasant industrial issues early in the new year.

TUC in a new year message, titled “Our hope not renewed yet”  by its President and Secretary-General, Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, respectively, said Nigerians had thrugged on, despite diminishing value of wages, low purchasing power, amid high cost of living, and the humongous challenges confronting  them.

The message read:  “Life has become extremely difficult, even unbearable, as a direct consequence of official policies and measures that sent the naira depreciating many-folds and the economy spinning and spiraling out of control in the out gone year.

“The economy has actually been on its knees, gasping for breath but that did not stop or even deter privileged few from feasting on our common patrimony, including making merchandise of scarce forex at a time the manufacturing sector cannot access forex to import raw materials for production.

”This ugly development has led to the closure of many factories and business outfits. As a result, millions of Nigerians were thrown out of jobs, with the attendant social, economic and security implications. At the same time, the political class has carried on undisturbed.

“The political class even engages in wanton ostentatious lifestyle that is provocative and unacceptable. With over 33.3 per cent unemployment rate, massive and pervasive poverty and misery ravaging the nooks and crannies of the land, coupled with the criminal, indifferent attitude of the political class, it is obvious that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpower.

“Nonetheless, TUC had in 2023, striven to ensure that social dialogue with the federal government prevailed, even when there were skeptics who believed the Tinubu administration cannot be trusted to implement simple, basic agreements.

”To allay these fears, organized labour insisted that the October 2, 2023, agreement between them and the administration be notarized by the court.

“Item 15 specifically states: ‘This memorandum shall be filed with the relevant court of competent jurisdiction within one week as consent judgment by the federal government..’

”However, government has serially violated the agreement. For instance, Item 2 states clearly: ‘A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement.’

” Today, three months after, no such committee has been set up by government. This was also our experience with this government in at least two previous agreements reached from June 2023.

“Following undue interferences of the agents of  Lagos and federal governments in the running of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, which led to avoidable crises, the Memorandum provided: ‘A resolution of the on-going impasse is expected by or before October 13.’

”This has also not been implemented.”

The TUC stated further:  “All agreements between labour and government, including the payment of the monthly N35,000 wage award to public servants in local, state governments and federal services, must be implemented until a new national minimum wage is implemented.

“A new national minimum wage must be negotiated, implemented, and if further delayed in the year, arrears be paid. Inflation, which is running at 28.20 per cent, must be drastically reduced to the sub-Saharan African regional average of 9.4 per cent.

“Government should stop its ill-advised devaluation of the national currency that is precipitating the collapse of local industries which need foreign exchange to import raw materials, and which has led to mega inflation in our import-dependent economy.”