The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have declared a nationwide strike and all workers in Nigeria are hereby directed to withdraw their services effective 12:00 midnight today, November 13, 2023.

This protest comes in the aftermath of the alleged assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero in Owerri, the Imo State capital, by the state police command, allegedly acting on the orders of the state governor, who abducted Ajaero from the NLC state council secretariat in Owerri, where he was waiting for colleagues to join him for a peaceful protest rally.

According to the labour unions, Ajaero was blindfolded, beaten to a pulp, brutalised, humiliated, and violated by the police personnel and taken to an unknown destination where he was subjected to more battering and torture as well as threatened with death before “help” came his way via the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who ordered his immediate release.

The call for strike action has garnered widespread support from various unions across the nation. Other major unions, including the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JSUN), the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULG), and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), have joined forces in solidarity with the NLC and TUC.

JSUN, in a press statement, directed all branches and chapters to comply with the strike, ensuring that members remain at home until further directives.

Similarly, NULG has instructed all state chapters and local branches across the federation to instruct members to withdraw their services until further notice.

The strike has gained momentum, with unions like the National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE), the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) confirming their participation.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (CEASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have also pledged their support.

Expressing solidarity, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the National Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) noted the necessity of the strike to address the government’s failure to meet labour demands and respond to the assault on NLC leadership.

As the nation braces for the impact of the nationwide strike, the NLC and TUC have urged workers to stand in solidarity, stating the principle that “injury to one is injury to all.”

Meanwhile, the federal government has condemned the planned nationwide strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), labelling it an “unwarranted attempt to blackmail the government” over the assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed the government’s disappointment over the unions’ choice to punish the entire country of over 200 million people over a matter involving the NLC president.

“Calling out workers on a national strike over a personal issue of a labour leader despite a clear court order against any industrial action amounts to an abuse of privilege. Power at any level should never be used to settle personal scores. Rather, it should be used to promote collective progress and advance national interests,” Onanuga noted.

Onanuga, however, reiterates that the strike action is illegal, immoral, unjustifiable and irresponsible.

“What the strike notice issued Monday night after official hours suggests is it’s designed for a sinister and hidden agenda to cause undue hardship and cause civil disturbance in our country. This is unacceptable,” he added.
[ad=2]