In a communiqué at the end of its National Executives Council (NEC) meeting, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has advised the incoming Buhari-led government to reduce the cost of governance by drastically cutting down on political appointments.
The labour body also asked the incoming government to strengthen anti-corruption agencies to bolster its promise to fight against graft.
TUC further frowned at attempts to undermine the labour movement by government’s refusal to include it in the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC).
As stated by TUC, a situation where labour laws are being reviewed by the NLCA to the exclusion of TUC amounts to flagrant violation of the rights of its members.
The TUC said: “The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to halt the continued scarcity of petroleum products as it impacts negatively on all components of the Nigerian economy.
“The Congress frowns at the way and manner public office holders are paying themselves severance benefits running into billions of naira without addressing the legitimate concerns of the workers on the issue of pension and gratuity.
“The Congress-in-session calls on the incoming government to restore payment of gratuity along with pension.”
The labour body added: “The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to immediately halt and reverse the last minutes transfers of the operatorship of OML 42, OML 40 and OML 30 which are being arbitrarily handed over to Neconde Energy Limited, Eland/Elcrest and Shore Line respectively.
“It demands for the immediate reinstatement of the operatorship rights of the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the NNPC subsidiary that has been successfully operating the assets to avert the brewing industrial crisis in NNPC in view of the impact it will have on the ongoing transition process.
“The NEC-in-session calls on the federal government to as a matter of urgency pay serious attention to ailing industry, particularly the textile sector of the economy that use to be the second largest employer of labour after government.”