Fuel subsidy: NLC issues seven-day nationwide strike notice

Fuel subsidy: NLC issues seven-day nationwide strike notice

The Nigeria Labour Congress has put plans in place for a nationwide strike scheduled to begin August 2,2023, The PUNCH has reliably gathered.

Though a court order which barred the congress from going on strike in June still stands, our correspondent learnt that the congress noted that it could not fold its arms while Nigerians continued to suffer the effects of subsidy removal which has led to untold hardship.

The PUNCH reports that the Tinubu administration dragged the organised labour to court earlier in June to prevent a nationwide strike following the initial removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.

Though the government set up a committee to liaise with the organised labour, officials of the Trade Union Congress and the NLC said the committee had failed to engage labour in a dialogue.

Speaking with our correspondent, the national treasurer of the NLC, Hakeem Ambali, said, “Yes. We issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to conclude all negotiations with labour or face industrial action yesterday by the Central Working Committee.”

Earlier, an NLC official who spoke to The PUNCH on Tuesday noted that the congress would meet on Tuesday and deliberate on the ways forward.

Failure of the government to meet the ultimatum would lead to a nationwide strike.

The national president of the NLC, Joe Ajaero has yet to issue an official statement on the matter nor respond to inquiries by our correspondent on the matter.

Another national official noted that the public would be intimated on other plans shortly.

Details later…