Mariam Adebukola 
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero has dismissed the news making rounds that the leaders of the Labour union were financially influenced by the government to call off the recent nationwide strike.
It would be recalled that organized labour under the aegis of NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) suspended the planned indefinite strike on Monday, October 2, following the marathon meeting with the federal government-led by the Chief of Staff (COS) to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Prior to the meeting, the leadership of the NLC and TUC were in disputes with the government concerning the removal of fuel subsidy and the provision of relief measures to mitigate the impact of the policy.
After the suspension, there were accusations that the labour unions compromised their stance in favour of President Bola Tinubu’s government on the issue.
However, in an interview with Vanguard on Sunday, the NLC president denied such insinuation, arguing that persons saying such risk being sued in court.
Ajaero emphasized that those disseminating such stories lack a comprehension of how labour relations and industrial practices function.
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He argued that individuals making such claims are lacking in knowledge about labour matters. In his view, there was no reason to persist with the strike when the government had made proposals and agreements had been reached and formalized.
He said: “Well, you see people use some words because nobody is taking them to court. What is the meaning of sell-out? Those critics were not there when we started and they are not the people that have our mandate.
“What we have are people who have no business, and who are illiterate in terms of labour issues. In every labour issue, there is always a demand. When a demand is met, an agreement is signed. I have never heard where Labour continuing an action after agreements are signed.
“Mention one critic there that is schooled in either labour or industrial relations practice anywhere in the world. So, when they say sellout, what did you sell out, how much did they buy it, who is the person that bought it? So, these are some of the careless statements that portray some people as illiterates on the subject matter.”
