Subsidy removal: Organized labour threatens indefinite strike over unmet demands

Organized labour in Nigeria has issued a warning of an indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands within the next week.

This ultimatum comes in the wake of a two-day nationwide warning strike staged by the workers union just a week ago.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stated that the strike is in response to the Federal Government’s failure to provide palliatives to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians due to the removal of fuel subsidies.

If initiated, this industrial action could potentially shut down commercial and economic activities across the country.

Christopher Onyeka, the National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, criticized the government for distributing a bag of rice to a dozen citizens while reportedly granting N100 million palliatives to each member of the National Assembly.

The NLC had previously given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to address their concerns, including wage awards, implementation of palliatives, tax exemptions and allowances for public sector workers, and a review of the minimum wage.

Despite the government’s commitment to restructure the framework for engagement with organized labour on palliatives, no progress has been made, and the eight-week timeframe for conclusion expired in August.

These developments follow President Bola Tinubu’s establishment of the Presidential Steering Committee and various sub-committees in June, aimed at discussing the framework for palliatives.

However, the sub-committees have yet to meet or fulfill their mandates, leaving organized labour frustrated and ready to escalate their protest actions.