The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced a two-day warning strike commencing on Tuesday, September 5, in protest against the Federal Government’s failure to address the issues arising from the removal of the fuel subsidy.
NLC President Joe Ajaero made this declaration during a press conference at the Labour House in Abuja on Friday. He spoke about the resolutions reached during the NLC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held the previous day.
The labor union accuses the Federal Government of neglecting ongoing negotiations and not implementing previous resolutions agreed upon in discussions with the government.
On August 2, organized labor staged protests against what they perceived as the anti-people policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and their affiliated unions staged demonstrations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and numerous states, including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.
This protest followed a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government, demanding the immediate reversal of what they consider anti-poor policies, such as the recent increase in the price of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit), higher public school fees, and the release of eight months’ withheld salaries of university lecturers and workers.
Additionally, the union called for an increase in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N200,000, emphasizing that since the President’s inauguration speech on May 29, 2023, where he stated that “subsidy is gone,” the well-being of Nigerians has been compromised.
Despite several meetings between the Presidency and the unions regarding palliatives for Nigerians experiencing hardship due to the removal of petrol subsidies, no resolution has been reached.