Indefinite strike: OPS kicks as Labour vows to shut down banks, others

The Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress announced on Tuesday a nationwide strike for October 3, 2023, and the Federal Government has called organized labour to a meeting in an effort to avert it.

With effect from Tuesday, the two unions had announced an indefinite strike in protest of the FG’s alleged failure to provide post-subsidy palliatives for workers. However, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity assured Nigerians that it would meet with the union leadership before they brought the economy to a complete halt.

The spokesperson for the labour ministry, Olajide Oshundun, said the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, would be centred on the pronouncements that would be made by President Bola Tinubu during his October 1 Independence Day broadcast

Tinubu is expected to unveil the palliative package for workers in the customary presidential speech to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day.

Oshundun disclosed in an interview with one of our correspondents, that the two major demands from the unions had been presented to the government.

He said, “We will avert the strike. We got the news of their intention to go on strike. They need to be rest assured that there will be a pronouncement in the October 1 speech of Mr President for Nigerian workers.

On his part, justifying the decision to proceed on strike at the virtual meeting of the National Executive Committee of the NLC held on Tuesday afternoon, Ajaero said the FG had failed to reverse its anti-poor policies characterised by the removal of fuel subsidy earlier this year

The NEC meeting had in attendance several union leaders, including the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke; the National President, Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions, Prof Theophilus Ndubaku; the National Treasurer of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Mercy Lanka; the General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Ibrahim Bomoi, and others.