The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on Monday ordered their affiliates to withdraw their services nationwide from midnight on November 14, 2023.
TUC President Festus Osifo disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday.
Osifo said the strike would remain until “government at all levels wake up to their responsibility.”
The strike is to protest the battering of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and others in Owerri, Imo State, on November 1, as well as the pending labour issues in the state.
They had, on November 7, resolved to declare a nationwide strike by Tuesday, November 14, if their demands were not met.
Besides the brutalisation of the NLC President, other labour leaders, journalists, other grievances of Organized Labour include outstanding salary arrears, unjust declaration of 11,000 workers as ghost employees, unsettled gratuities, non-compliance of N30,000 minimum wage act, and declaration of 10,000 pensioners as ghost retirees.
Recall that suspected agents of the state and security operatives had descended on Ajaero alongside others.
They smashed the labour leaders’ vehicles, inflicting injuries on them and dispossessing them of handsets, money, ATM cards among other valuables.
They had gathered at the NLC state secretariat to begin a scheduled protest on November 1, over the pending labour issues.
The NLC President, other national leaders of NLC and their TUC, counterparts, were there.
Organised Labour’s decision to go ahead with the planned strike followed an extraordinary National Executive Council, NEC, meeting today in Abuja.
President of TUC, Festus Osifo, who spoke on behalf of the two labour centres said the strike would remain until “government at all levels wake up to their responsibilities”.
According to him: “We demanded that the Area Commander that led the Police to carry out the brutalisation should be relieved his duties and prosecuted.
“We asked also that Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Special Adviser, SA, on Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri, who everyone knew led the touts, should also be arrested and prosecuted.
