TUC presents 10 demands before President Tinubu.

TUC presents 10 demands before President Tinubu.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has presented 10 demands before the administration of President Bola Tinubu for implementation.

The TUC made the demands in a new year statement signed by its president, Festus Osifo and Secretary General, Nuhu Toro on Wednesday, January 3. 

The congress asked the Tinubu administration to implement: “All agreements between labour and government, including the payment of the monthly N35,000 wage award to Public Servants in the Local Government, State and Federal services, must be implemented until a new National Minimum Wage is implemented.”

Other demands included the negotiation and implementation of a new National Minimum Wage and payment of arrears;

“Inflation, which is running at 28.20 percent, must be drastically reduced to the Sub-Saharan African regional average of 9.4 percent. 

“Governments at state and federal levels should stop the unnecessary, economically-unwise and unpatriotic tradition of taking loans, especially when these loans only end up being used to purchase thousands of expensive jeeps for legislators, pampered members of the Executive and their spouses, or in building unnecessary offices and purchasing mundane and sundry things, including stationaries;

“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.;

“The sale of the Naira in the streets due to the Central Bank-induced scarcity must be stopped. This is possible, provided Government ensures adequate supply of Naira notes in the banking system;

“The very high price of PMS, which is now at a poverty-inducing price of N617 at the NNPC fuel stations (much higher elsewhere) should be drastically reduced to repair the damage done to the economy. This will be achieved by ensuring local production of refine products;

“The security of Nigerians should be the yardstick with which to determine whether military and other security chiefs and their supervising Ministers should remain in office or be replaced. Specifically, rather than lament, President Tinubu has a duty to sanction officials for serious security breaches such as the December, 2023 massacres in Plateau State;

“In order to ensure maximum security, Community Policing should be prioritized alongside the mobilisation of the citizenry to defend themselves against bandits and terrorists and 

“Government should engage in dialogue with aggrieved groups representing nationalities who feel marginalised, short-changed or shut out.”

It added: “The Year 2024 holds a lot of promise for us all provided Nigerians as a people would unite and assert our authority over all powers, including the Nigerian ruling class manning all branches, levels, institutions and organs of government.”