Nigerian public workers threaten three-day strike over fuel and wages
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has threatened a three-day warning strike from October 2 unless the government addresses demands for petrol at ₦500 a litre, a higher minimum wage and a wage award. The council says the measures are needed to ease pressure on workers and households.
Nigerian public workers have threatened a three-day warning strike from Friday, October 2, over petrol prices and the failure to review the national minimum wage. The warning was issued by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council in a statement by its National Secretary, Gbenga Olowoyo. The council said industrial action would begin if the Federal Government failed to address its demands by September 30.
The workers are seeking a reduction in petrol prices to at least ₦500 a litre, an upward review of the ₦70,000 minimum wage and approval of a wage award to cushion the effect of rising living costs. Olowoyo urged President Bola Tinubu to address the issues in his Independence Day broadcast. The council said high fuel costs were putting severe pressure on workers, their dependants and other vulnerable Nigerians.
It said petrol prices affected transport, electricity generation and the cost of moving goods, including food. The unions also called on the government to sell crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators on appropriate terms. They argued that increased domestic refining could help reduce the price of petroleum products.
The JNPSNC brings together eight public-sector unions, including the Nigeria Civil Service Union, the Medical and Health Workers Union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives. The council’s threat follows the removal of the petrol subsidy in 2023 and subsequent increases in pump prices. The source says recent prices in Abuja and Lagos were around ₦1,400 a litre, with some outlets charging more, while prices in parts of northern Nigeria reached about ₦1,500.
The government’s response to the ultimatum was not included.
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