Following a meeting with the government on Monday night, Nigeria’s biggest labor union agreed to call an end to an indefinite strike in protest at the loss of a popular, decades-old fuel subsidy, as shown by a written agreement.
After oil prices almost doubled owing to the removal of the subsidy last week, the government obtained a court injunction barring the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from going on strike on June 7. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) was also named, despite the fact that it had not yet organized a strike.
Unions are outraged because President Bola Tinubu, who took office a week ago, abruptly removed a substantial subsidy that had been in existence since the 1970s.
When Nigeria tried a similar method in 2012, huge strikes broke out, forcing the government to reinstate some subsidies. Tinubu, who was a member of the opposition at the time, pushed against eliminating the subsidies.
The National Labor Committee (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) declared on Monday that they would “immediately suspend the strike notice to allow for further consultations.”
The NLC executive board will meet on Tuesday to decide on whether to endorse the government contract.
Union demands would be discussed further, including revamping state-owned refineries to enhance domestic gasoline output and lower wholesale prices.
The next meeting is set for June 19 and will concentrate on following through on the pledges made.
On Monday, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) sent a statement to the administration, asking a number of adjustments. One of these improvements is a rise in the minimum monthly pay from 30,000 to 200,000 naira.
Tinubu said last week that Nigeria should review its minimum wage, although he did not propose a new figure.
