Some labour leaders stated that Nigerian workers were disenchanted with the Federal Government on how it was handling the fuel subsidy removal and attendant economic crunch ravaging the country.
Nigerians are bracing up for hard times with expected fuel scarcity and blackout as the organised labour has insisted on indefinite nationwide strike from October 3, 2023.
Some labour leaders stated that Nigerian workers were disenchanted with the Federal Government on how it was handling the fuel subsidy removal and attendant economic crunch ravaging the country.
The National Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim, speaking with PUNCH, maintained that nothing would stop the strike, adding that the unions had given the government sufficient time to address their demands.
According to him, the workers would not allow themselves to be deceived any longer, adding any fresh meeting was pointless and asked Nigerians to brace for the long-drawn walkout.
“The government had been given more than enough time to meet our demands but they did nothing. The strike has been fixed, nothing will stop it and if they (FG) like, they can go to court as usual. The only thing that can stop the strike is if they meet all our demands,” he stated.
Asked what Nigerians should expect during the industrial action, the labour leader 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 in this period when Nigerians are suffering great hardships?”
An NLC official who spoke on a similar stand the issues are straightforward, adding NLC’s joint communiqué was very clear.
“NLC has declared an indefinite nationwide strike which is to begin on October 3, 2023, and nothing will make us not to start unless the government does everything we have said they should do.’’
Asked if the unions would shelve their plan if invited to a meeting by FG, the union leader noted, ‘’No meeting or promise that would make us stop; the only thing that would make us stop is the fulfilment of all those demands, nothing else.”
Meanwhile, Nigerians may have to brace for fuel scarcity and nationwide blackout from Tuesday as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers and the National Union of Electricity Employees have vowed to join the indefinite strike declared by the NLC and TUC.
Also, the health workers said that they would not be available to attend to patients at the hospitals while the judiciary staff disclosed that the courts would be shut down nationwide.