Nationwide Strike to start Without Formal Notice – NLC

If the current negotiations are not concluded and palliatives put in place first, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that its members will begin a nationwide strike action without any formal notice to the federal government.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, made the remarks at a meeting of the African Alliance of Trade Unions in Abuja, as reported by the Nigerian Tribune.
Ajaero pleaded with the federal government to change “those bad economic policies that make our wages next to nothing” in response to the advice of the Registrar of Trade Unions on how labour should conduct themselves in carrying out their responsibilities of protecting the interest of workers and, by extension, Nigerians.

Since we are currently present here. They are thinking about raising the prices of petrol and other petroleum products. For some time now, however, the Minister of Labour has only gone to the Minister of Justice to request an injunction to prevent the hands of labour from responding. They have begun discussing the possibility of an increase in the cost of petroleum goods.

Let me say this, though. The workers in Nigeria will not give advance notice of a strike. If we haven’t dealt with the fallout from the previous two petrol price hikes and now we wake up to the news that they’ve raised prices again, we have some explaining to do.

Finally, Ajaero said, “I want to plead with the government that those bad economic policies that make our wages next to nothing should be checked.” We can live anywhere in peace so long as you stop the policies that cause inflation and currency devaluation. We ask that the minimum wage be maintained at $30,000 if the naira is at par with the dollar today.

In the event that inflation is brought down to zero, we will ask that you maintain status quo. But prices are rising rapidly, and the National Bureau of Statistics now acknowledges that more than 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty. The government, in my opinion, should take care of these problems. The inflation that would ensue if we implemented a wage increase tomorrow would be disastrous.

Additionally, he declared, “The Nigerian police, the IG is now performing the duties of the Ministry of Labour. Ministry of Labour responsibilities include mediating conflicts between unions and within unions. The Inspector General of Police has no authority over such matters. And the police need to be taught by the Ministry of Labour that they cannot assume its responsibilities without proper authorization. If they do that, the Ministry of Labour will be abolished and the position of Minister of Labour will be rendered meaningless.

When the president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers was arrested or even considered for arrest on the eve of the election, we say it is legal and we demand an apology from the IG of police. This has never happened before in the United States. And this idea should never be considered again. If the Nigerian police are going to harass Nigerian workers, we have no intention of spending much time in their offices. Allow them to use the same weapon tonight that was paid for with the workers’ tax?

Get in touch with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Safety to pick up your responsibilities. You should still refer any intra or interoffice disagreements to NIC for resolution. Since the Nigeria Labour Congress has close ties to the Ministry of Labour. Unfortunately, we see no future for your work. We’re here, though, ready to work with you, share a laugh, and pick a fight when necessary.