The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced a two-day warning strike in response to the removal of petrol subsidies and its impact on Nigerians.
This strike is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, as stated in a communique released after the National Executive Council meeting of the congress held on Friday.
President Bola Tinubu, on his Inauguration day, abolished the subsidy on petrol shortly after taking office, causing the price of petrol to surge from N197 per litre to N617.
The NLC had strongly opposed the removal of the subsidy and organized a nationwide protest to urge the government to reconsider its decision and avoid inflicting hardship on the masses.
Subsequently, President Tinubu met with labour leaders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to address their concerns.
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The communique, signed by Comrade Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, and Emmanuel Ugboaja, its secretary, explained that the decision to declare the warning strike was prompted by the government’s failure to engage in dialogue with organized labour to mitigate the adverse effects of subsidy removal.
The communique read: “To embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days from today until steps are taken by the government to address the excruciating mass suffering and impoverishment being experienced around the country.
“To commence a two-day nationwide warning strike on Tuesday & Wednesday the 5th & 6th of September, 2023 to demonstrate our readiness for the indefinite strike later in the month and to also demand that the state vacates the illegally occupied National Headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers;
“To embark on a mass protest and rally in Imo State within this month of September 2023 in preparation for a major shutdown of the state to compel the state government to stop the abuse and violation of the rights and privileges of workers and trade unions in the state;
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“To begin the shutdown of the operations of Airpeace Airline and other companies in the aviation sector that are involved in serial violation of the rights of workers in the sector to freedom of association and to collectively bargain and organise;
“To call on communities around the nation to stop taking the law into their own hands but report to the authorities for amicable resolution any matter involving members of the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria which is one of our affiliates;
“To demand that the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory desists from threatening poor masses in the FCT with demolition of their properties built from their years of toil but should focus more on making houses available to the people.
“He is not a Minister of Demolition and should be prepared to meet Nigerian workers and citizens on the street if he carries out his insensitive utterances.”