Labor Unions Suspend Strike As Government Pledges To Provide Allowance To Federal Workers

Nigeria's two biggest workers' unions have agreed to suspend the planned nationwide strike for 30 days after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would ensure that the Federal Government will spend N315 billion in the next six months as allowance for federal workers.

After the meeting held on Monday, the Federal Minister of Labour and Employment of Nigeria, Simon Bako Lalong disclosed that the National Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have agreed to suspend the planned strike for 30 days.

"The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023," Minister Lalong said, Punch reported.

The minister further explained that the MoU shall be filed with the court within a week period. The NLC President, Joe Ajaero noted that the labour unions will revisit the agreement if the government fails to meet their demands.

As per the agreement, the federal government will provide a wage of N35,000 to all federal government workers "beginning from the month of September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law."

"A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement," the agreement further mentioned. "Federal Government accepts to vote N100 billion for the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria."

Provisions will be made initially for 55,000 CNG conversion kits to kick start an autogas conversion program while working on state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide.

It continued, "The rollout aims to commence by November with pilots across 10 campuses nationwide. The Federal Government should urge state government through the National Economic Council and Governors Forum to implement wage awards for their workers."

Furthermore, the unions demanded that similar wage awards should be given to local government and private sector workers.

The organized labor union announced the strike on Sept. 1 and gave a 21-day ultimatum to the government to address the union demands amid the removal of subsidies that caused an increase in fuel prices, among other issues.

TUC's National Deputy President Tommy Etim said that this indefinite strike would be the "mother of all strikes" and Nigerians should expect a "total shutdown" across the nation.

However, following several meetings between the union and federal government officials, the strike has been suspended for at least 30 days.