Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have jointly announced an indefinite strike set to begin on Tuesday, October 3rd. This announcement came during a joint press briefing held in Abuja, the nation’s capital, earlier today.
In addition to the strike, the unions have called on their state chapters to mobilize for protests nationwide.
It’s worth noting that the leaders of both labor centers have reconciled their differences, which previously led to only the NLC embarking on a two-day warning strike without TUC’s involvement.
The meeting, as stated in the notice signed by NLC Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja, will be held virtually.
Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has appealed to the NLC leadership to reconsider the planned strike, assuring them of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing their concerns. The minister also highlighted that one of the major demands made by the NLC regarding the release of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers’ leadership has been met. A statement from the ministry’s spokesman, Olajide Oshundu, urges the workers’ unions to grant the government more time to address remaining issues.
On September 5th and 6th, 2023, the NLC initiated a two-day warning strike to draw attention to the widespread suffering of Nigerians, particularly workers.
Sources familiar with the matter report that following separate meetings within their respective organizations, both sides convened a joint press briefing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday to announce the indefinite nationwide strike in response to the government’s failure to alleviate the hardships caused by the removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.
