The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have initiated a nationwide strike following a directive issued last week.
The strike has seen several affiliate unions, including the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), participate in the industrial action.
The announcement of compliance was shared by the NLC in a Tuesday morning Facebook post, revealing circulars issued by various unions.
Notable among these unions were the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees, the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), and the National Union of Electricity Employees.
The strike was prompted by the physical assault on NLC National President Joe Ajaero in Imo State two weeks ago.
Ajaero, along with other NLC members, was demonstrating against prolonged salary non-payment for 44 months and violation of labour rights. The protest raised suspicion in some quarters, viewed as an attempt to derail Governor Hope Uzodimma’s re-election bid in the recent governorship election.
Despite the National Industrial Court (NIC) restraining the unions from commencing the strike amidst an impasse with the Imo State Government, the unions issued a statement on Monday, directing workers nationwide to withdraw their services starting midnight.
They cited the decision from the Joint National Executive Council (NEC) of NLC and TUC, urging compliance with the directive through circulars disseminated by affiliates and state councils.
In light of the assault on Ajaero, the NLC and TUC had previously threatened a nationwide strike on November 14, demanding, among other things, the resignation of police officials if the government failed to meet their demands. The unions expressed concern over the criminalization of peaceful protests by workers in Nigeria.
To emphasize their demands, the unions staged a picket at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja last week, causing travel disruptions. Recent strikes in Nigeria have had varying outcomes. Notably, last month, unions called off a planned strike protesting rising living costs after the federal government proposed a series of measures to mitigate the impact of its economic reforms occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
