NLC Threatens Two-Day Warning Strike, Indefinite Shutdown Over Fuel Price Hike, Others in Nigeria

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its 52 affiliated unions have issued a two-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address the hardship and suffering of Nigerians or face a nationwide strike and shutdown.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, announced this after the National Executive Council meeting of the Congress in Abuja on Saturday.

Ajaero said the government had failed to engage the labour movement and other stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue on the impact of the recent hike in fuel prices, which he said had worsened the living conditions of workers and citizens.

He said the NLC had resolved to embark on an indefinite strike and shutdown within 14 or 21 days if the government did not take urgent steps to alleviate the plight of Nigerians.

The NLC also demanded that the government should vacate the National Headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), which it claimed was illegally occupied by the police under the pretext of acting on behalf of the President. It also vowed to shut down the operations of Air Peace Airline and other aviation companies that were violating the rights of workers to unionize and bargain collectively.

The NLC urged communities across the country to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and report any dispute involving members of the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, one of its affiliates, to the authorities for peaceful resolution. It also warned the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to stop threatening to demolish the properties of poor people in the FCT and instead focus on providing affordable housing for them.

Ajaero said Wike was not a Minister of Demolition and should be ready to face the wrath of Nigerian workers and citizens if he carried out his insensitive plans. He said the NLC also planned to stage a mass protest and rally in Imo State this month to force the state government to respect the rights and privileges of workers and trade unions in the state.

He accused the government and its agents of launching a renewed attack on labour unions, citing the example of the police invasion and occupation of the NURTW headquarters.

He said labour had protested against the anti-people policies of the government last month, but the government had abandoned the negotiations and reneged on some of the agreements reached.

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