Nationwide Strikes Commences Across Health, Aviation, Schools, Banks, Critical Sectors

A crippling blow has been dealt to essential services across Nigeria, as the NLC and TUC embark on an indefinite strike, commencing today.

The Federal Government’s eleventh-hour warnings failed to dissuade the NLC and TUC from carrying out the nationwide strike, as labor leaders refused to back down. With negotiations remaining futile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas made a last-ditch attempt to prevent the strike in a late-night meeting with NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo. However, despite their efforts, the marathon session ultimately failed to avert the disruption to critical services that the industrial action has now brought upon Nigeria.

As the nationwide strike unfolds, the TUC has mobilized a range of senior staff associations, including PENGASSAN and ASSBIFI, to ensure comprehensive participation from all sectors of Nigeria’s labor force. Similarly, NLC affiliates such as NUPENG and NUEE have called on their members to fully comply with the industrial action, cementing the strike’s influence across key industries.

The deadline for the government to avert a crippling nationwide strike expired on May 31, with no resolution to the contentious issues of a new minimum wage and the skyrocketing electricity tariffs.

The negotiations between the government and labor unions have been plagued by impasses, with labor leaders walking out of meetings three times due to unsatisfactory offers.

The final straw that broke the camel’s back came on May 31, as labor negotiators walked out on the government when its proposed new minimum wage of N60,000 fell far short of labor’s expectation of N615,000.

Labour leaders remain resolute. “We don’t have the right to call off the industrial action approved by our organs. Thus, the action will continue while we will have a meeting with our organs to relate to them your proposals,” organized labour representatives informed National Assembly leadership.

More details shortly…