The Federal Government has said it is working to prevent a repeat of last month’s industrial face-off between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said this at the Presidential Villa on Saturday while briefing State House correspondents.

Earlier, the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Ngige, had met with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) over the labour crisis in the state, the just-suspended strike by the Judiciary Staff Union, as well as the security situation in the South-East.

Recall that the leadership of the NLC had complained to the President that the Kaduna State Government allegedly disregarded the terms of the agreement reached between the two parties after the Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Employment, intervened to broker a truce last month.

Ngige said, “I had to see him (Buhari) to apprise him of the labour industrial milieu, especially when you know that the judiciary and parliamentary workers, JUSUN and PASAN, respectively, had been on strike that lasted for two months. We achieved a truce through an agreement and we had to submit his copies of agreement to him.

“We are going to monitor the agreement. He is very interested in it. And if you remember, he had to do an Executive Order 10 in consonance with the constitution, so that we have independence and financial autonomy for the judiciary and the legislature in the states.

“We also looked at the Kaduna State Government/Nigeria Labour Congress imbroglio. We have arrested the strike; we have formed committees for the workers through the NLC and the Kaduna State Government so that they can do some social dialoguing and reconciliation through that route.

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“The NLC, just five days ago, wrote to Mr President, complaining that the Kaduna State Government wasn’t keeping to their side of the agreement signed, especially in the area of victimisation of workers. They said the government of Kaduna State has sacked some staff from its workforce for participating in the strike. And Mr President sought advice on it and we have transmitted the advice today.”

Speaking on the spate of insecurity in the South-East, Ngige said, “We also looked at the security situation, especially in my zone, the South-East, and we made some proposals to him based on the yearnings of the people, and what the government also wants.

“We are following up with a dialogue, which at the end of the day is what will happen. We have to talk; we have to discuss. And part of the discussion starts also on Saturday.”