The two largest labour unions in Nigeria have announced an indefinite strike that will start on next Tuesday in protest of how the government is handling the rising cost of living.
The recent removal of the fuel subsidy has made matters worse for Nigerians financially, according to the National Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), who both charged the government with failing to alleviate the situation.
“It’s going to be a total shutdown until government meets the demand of Nigerian workers, and in fact Nigerian masses,” the union leaders said in a joint statement.
They announced that they would organize street protests and demanded that all workers cease all work beginning on Tuesday, October 3.
Due to rising fuel prices, which have raised production and transportation costs, food and commodity prices have risen recently.
The value of Nigeria’s naira, the country’s currency, has also decreased significantly against the US dollar, trading at an average rate of 780 naira to $1, which has increased the cost of imports.
In light of the impending damage the strike action could do to the economy, the government had made a request to the union leaders to call off the strike and make room for negotiations.
In order to avoid incurring excessive costs, according to President Bola Tinubu, the fuel subsidy had to be terminated.
Source-BBC
