By Halimah Olamide
Leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress late Friday walked out of the meeting of the presidential steering committee which held to resolve issues bordering on strike.
Joe Ajeoro, NLC President had led his team to the meeting with the Presidential Steering Committee on subsidy palliatives accusing representatives of government of lack of seriousness in the negotiations.
The Steering Committee had met with the government delegation on Wednesday where the two parties agreed to reconvene on Friday to get brief from the three subcommittees set up to look into various demands.
The committee was constituted by the government to come up with palliatives that would cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the workers.
While some members of the committee said the meeting could not hold because there was no quorum, NLC officials said the representatives of government already showed that the meeting was only being used to deceive Nigerians.
The meeting which was slated to hold in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, was said to have ended before it could start as Gbajabiamila himself was not present.
It was also gathered that members of the critical committee who were saddled with the responsibilities to come
Up with measures to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal were not present at the meeting.
The situation was said to have angered the NLC officials who then felt insulted by what they called the antics of the Federal Government.
The Congress had declared that workers nationwide would down tools over the rising cost of living.