Subsidy: FG, Labour seek way out of crisis

 

Nigerian unions will meet President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday evening to try to defuse a row over the removal of fuel subsidies that has paralysed the economy and raised fears of a shutdown of its oil industry, a presidency spokesman said.
Strikes and protests brought the country to a standstill last week and workers in the vital two million barrel-per-day oil industry have threatened to halt production.
Presidency spokesman Reuben Abati said on telephone that the meeting was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT).
Unions will meet members' representatives in the capital Abuja at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT) to agree a negotiating position ahead of the talks with Jonathan at the presidency, said Owei Lakemfa, general secretary of the National Labour Congress.

"We'll review the situation of the past one week, and set a fresh mandate for those who would represent labour in the talks in the (presidential) villa today," he told Reuters.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets and staged strikes for five straight days in protest against the removal of a fuel subsidy on January 1, which more than doubled the pump price to 150 naira per litre from 65 naira before.
Unions have suspended strike action for the weekend, pending talks on Saturday in which they and the government are expected to reach some kind of agreement. If they do not, strikes will continue next week.
"The government's expectation is that today's meeting will bring an end to the whole crisis so that the nation can move forward," a senior source at the presidential villa told Reuters.
Officially, the unions' negotiating position has been to accept nothing less than 65 naira, although they are expected to soften their stance.

Source: The Nation