The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, has lamented the growing rate of poverty, inflation, food insecurity and other challenges in Nigeria.
According to Osifo, no fewer than 56 percent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line.
He lamented that the current situation is a testament to the fact that the system has failed Nigerians.
Naija News reports the TUC President made the submission on Wednesday while speaking during the 1st Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Lagos State Council.
He submitted that the Labour Union has a responsibility to tell the government the truth about what Nigerians are going through.
Osifo, who was represented by the Acting Secretary General of TUC, Mrs Olawunmi Jimoh, said: “The realities around us are grim: runaway inflation, widespread food insecurity, unaffordable education, epileptic power supply, a weakened agricultural system, and a culture of unsustainable borrowing.
“These are not just policy failures; they are symptoms of a system that has failed its people.
“As a responsible and progressive labour center, we must rise to the occasion, speak truth to power, and take decisive action when necessary.”
The labour leader also condemned plans to remove labour from the Exclusive Legislative List and transfer it to the Concurrent List, describing the move as anti-worker, retrogressive, and a direct threat to the unity and strength of the Nigerian labour movement.
“Let me state unequivocally: this proposed amendment is anti-worker, retrogressive, and a direct threat to the unity and strength of the Nigerian labour movement,” he said.
He vowed that the TUC strongly and categorically rejects the bill, which he described as dangerous and would resist it with every lawful means at the union’s disposal.
Accordingly, he said that all state councils of union have been placed on red alert and should be prepared to act promptly upon receiving directives from the national headquarters.
“We must defend the hard-won rights of Nigerian workers without hesitation, he said, urging the Lagos State Council and all state chapters not to hesitate in escalating unresolved industrial issues to the national secretariat.
“Where local mechanisms fall short, we shall intervene as a united front, employing robust engagement and determined advocacy to deliver justice and protect the welfare of workers,” Osifo said.
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