The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, asking it to reverse all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” policies or face nationwide strike.
According to Labour, the policies include the recent hike in the price of petrol, increase in public school fees, among others.
It is important to note that oil marketers in Nigeria had in last week increased the pump price of petrol at retail outlets to N617 per litre in Abuja and N565 per litre in Lagos.
But in a communique made available at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Wednesday, the union threatened to embark on an indefinite strike as from Wednesday, August 2, 2023, if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands.
The communique was jointly signed by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero and the union’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja.
The NLC further stated that the Federal Government has shown enormous disdain and contempt for the Nigerian people and have declared a war of attrition on citizens.
The union also said since President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “subsidy is gone forever”, Nigerians have been suffering.
The communique reads in part, “CWC-in-session noted unfortunately that the Federal Government has continued to treat Nigerians as slaves and a conquered people which it treats with impunity without any concern on the consequences.
“That the Federal Government has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and new hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre.
“That the NNPCL (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited), has turned itself into the forces of demand and supply and fixes the price of Petroleum products while mouthing deregulation.
“That Government’s conduct suggests it does not intend to commit itself to the MoU it signed with NLC and TUC (Trade Union Congress).”
The NLC is also demanding “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government including the recent hike in PMS price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers and increase in VAT.”
Other demands include the immediate inauguration of the presidential steering committee as agreed in earlier dialogues.
The union therefore gave “the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and to embark on a nationwide action beginning Wednesday the 2nd of August, 2023 to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti- workers policies”.
Labour also declared that it would lead and organise mass protest rallies nationwide to demonstrate outrage against the inhuman actions and policies of the Federal Government.
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