By Sadiq Abubakar, Abuja.
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Muhammad Bello, has stressed the importance of dialogue in promoting the relationship between the government and labour organisations.
Bello, stated this in Abuja last Thursday, during a courtesy visit of the newly elected executives of the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by the chairman, Comrade Stephen Knabayi to his office.
He said “Dialogue is very important; it’s amazing what can be achieved through dialogue. And I’m sure you have seen it here in the FCT and I’m going to hand over reports to the incoming FCT Minister, informing him of the relationship that I have enjoyed with all the various labour organizations in the FCT; the NLC, the TUC and our own in-house JUAC”.
The minister, while appreciating the relationship between the FCT administration and the NLC and other sub-affiliated union like the NUT, pledged the continued partnership of the administration to the leadership of the NLC to promote industrial harmony in the FCT.
He commended the chairman over his emergence as the new leader of the NLC in the FCT, the minister noted that his elevation is as a result of the credible roles he played over the years as chairman of the NUT in the FCT, adding that his antecedents are very well known in the territory.
The minister, therefore, advised the new leadership to try to adopt new approaches and strategies, in terms of its utterances and activities, now that the stakes were much higher, and urged the union to see themselves as stakeholders in the FCT project.
“As you go higher, you realize that a lot is achieved through mutual respect, dialogue and understanding of the wider picture,” Bello stated.
Earlier, the FCT NLC chairman, Knabayi, told the minister that the new executive members of the NLC were on the visit to familiarize and identify with the FCT administration, as well as to commend the him for the good job he had done in terms of welfare of the workers.
“We are also here to let you know that the NLC is available for you and for all of us, as we are ready to work together with you, because we believe in dialogue, we believe in appreciating employers who have done us well and who are doing us well,he said.
He added “We believe that meeting together to discuss issues with you will aways chart a better way forward on issues” Knabayi told the minister.
