The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has reiterated its commitment to an indefinite strike despite a meeting with the Federal Government, expressing workers’ discontent with the government’s actions. Tommy Etim, the National Deputy President of the TUC, emphasized that Nigerian workers had waited long enough for the government to address their demands and were no longer willing to be deceived.
Etim told Online Medium on Wednesday that any further meetings were pointless, and he called on Nigerians to prepare for an extended strike. He stated, “The government had been given more than enough time to meet our demands but they did nothing. The strike has been scheduled, and nothing will stop it. The only thing that can stop the strike is if they meet all our demands.”
Regarding the potential impact of the strike, Etim added, “It will not just be a total shutdown of the nation; it is going to be the mother of all strikes. Do you know that they are even planning to sack 17,000 workers during this period when Nigerians are suffering great hardships?”
Another official of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also reaffirmed their commitment to the proposed strike, stating, “The issues are straightforward. NLC’s joint communiqué was very clear. NLC has declared an indefinite nationwide strike set to begin on October 3, 2023, and nothing will make us not start unless the government fulfills all our demands.”
When asked if the unions would reconsider their plan if invited to a meeting by the Federal Government, the union leader emphasized, “No meeting or promise will make us stop; the only thing that would make us stop is the fulfillment of all those demands, nothing else.”
Additionally, other sectors are expected to be impacted by the strike. The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have pledged to join the strike, which may result in fuel scarcity and nationwide power outages. Health workers have also indicated that they will not attend to patients in hospitals, and the judiciary staff has announced the closure of courts nationwide.
The strike was declared by the NLC and TUC to protest the alleged failure of the Federal Government to provide post-subsidy palliatives for workers and implement policies to alleviate the suffering of the masses following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
