The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have jointly issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to alleviate the hardship being endured by Nigerians or face a nationwide strike.
The threat comes amid what the two labour centres perceived as the government’s failure to honour agreements made on October 2, 2023, particularly regarding the removal of the subsidy on petrol.
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Expressing deep concern, leaders of the NLC and TUC lamented the apparent indifference of the Bola Tinubu-led administration to the widespread suffering and hardships faced by the citizens, despite concerted efforts by organised labour to uphold industrial harmony.
The October 2 agreement was “focused on addressing the massive suffering and the general harsh socioeconomic consequences of the ill-conceived and ill-executed IMF/World Bank-induced hike in the price of petrol and the devaluation of the naira.
“These dual policies have had, as we predicted, dire economic consequences for the masses and workers of Nigeria,” the statement by the unions read on Thursday.
The labour unions pointed to the necessity of their impending action due to the continuous disregard for the welfare of Nigerian citizens and workers, resulting in widespread hardship.
“Effective February 9, both the NLC and TUC announced stringent measures; driven by this unfortunate circumstance and acknowledging the pressing nature of the situation, as well as the imperative to safeguard the rights and dignity of Nigerian workers and citizens. “We issue a firm ultimatum to the Federal Government to fulfil their obligations within 14 days from February 9, 2024.”
Central to the demands is the long overdue implementation of a promised N35,000 wage award for civil servants, which remains unfulfilled despite government assurances and billions being saved from the petrol subsidy removal.
