As the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) suggested a statewide strike on August 2, unions under its umbrella said they are preparing for the imminent industrial action.
According to Newsmen, the labor union recommended a statewide strike to protest the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s “harsh policies” and the withdrawal of gasoline subsidies.
Following its National Executive Council meeting on Friday, the NLC chose August 2 to launch a statewide strike and mass protests.
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Following the NLC’s strike announcement, the administration promptly called for an emergency meeting with organized labor, including the NLC and Trade Union Congress, with a follow-up meeting at the State House on Friday.
However, after the reported failure of the government team to appear, officials of organized labor rushed out of the conference on Friday.
In an interview with The Punch, workers from the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) confirmed that they are mobilizing their members to shut down fuel supply and the national electricity grid beginning Wednesday in response to the planned mass protest.
According to Afolabi Olawale, General Secretary of NUPENG, “the congress has taken a unanimous decision, and it is mandatory that every affiliate should obey the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress.”
Blackout Looms As Electricity Employees Mobilise To Join Nationwide Strike
Similarly, electrical workers said they would shut down the national power grid because it was binding on all staff in the sector to join the mass protest.
The acting General Secretary of NUEE, Dominic Igwebuike, noted that “The NUEE is an affiliate of the NLC, and I’ve told you that we will join the strike action.
“The issue is that if there’s a deadlock between labour and the government, that means that the mass protest is still going on, and definitely electricity workers, as an affiliate of the NLC, will partake in the mass protest.
“So, all workers in the power sector will join the mass protest on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. It is binding on every staff member to join the strike action. So, if it results in a blackout, the only option is for the government to listen to us if it wants power to return.
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“The government should listen to the Nigerian masses who are going through serious suffering right now. That is the only thing we are asking for. So, for now, the protest is going to hold, unless there is a further directive from the NLC.”
In response to the planned statewide strike, Samson Itodo, Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, urged the NLC to engage the Federal Government in negotiations.
He said, “It is quite a difficult situation. Honestly, what will be the pros and cons of embarking on the strike action? They should negotiate more because who is suffering at the end of the day? It’s Nigerians who will suffer.
“I understand that the NLC is defending the people’s rights and the entire people in society because of the hardship of the policy. The government, on its own part, needs to accelerate its response.”
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However, contrary to Itodo’s assertion, Enefaa Georgewill, South-South Coordinator for United Action for Democracy, argued that the strike had been long overdue.
He said, “We agree with the Nigeria Labour Congress, and this (strike) is long overdue although the NLC is equally suffering from the issue of trust. We feel that they have been used to behead the popular uprising. We don’t even trust that before the proposed date, the NLC will not come up with a story that they are calling off the strike because they want to go to negotiation.”
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