The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday directed their members to commence a national strike from midnight.
The TUC President, Festus Osifo, disclosed this while addressing journalists on Monday.
Mr Osifo noted that the strike would remain until “government at all levels wake up to their responsibility.”
The unions had on Tuesday last week, said they will embark on a national strike from Tuesday, 14 November.
The leadership of the two unions reached the resolution after an extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
The action of the unions followed the brutalisation of the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, last week in Imo State.
According to Channels TV, the labour unions in a joint statement on Monday said “In furtherance to the decision of the Joint National Executive Council (NEC) of NLC and TUC, all workers in Nigeria are hereby directed to withdraw their services effective 12:00 midnight today, 13th November 2023.
“Consequently, all affiliates and state councils of NLC/TUC are directed to issue circulars for maximum compliance and these circulars be made available to the National Secretariats or posted to the NEC and CWC Whatsapp Platforms.”
Meanwhile, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, on Friday last week, restrained the labour unions from embarking on strike.
Benedict Kanyip, the judge, who is also the president of the court, ordered Nigeria’s two major labour unions, to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence 14 November.
The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, following the Labour unions’ threat to embark on strike.
The NLC had called on workers in Imo State to embark on a state-wide strike on 1 November.
While declaring the strike, Mr Ajaero said the industrial action was in protest against “the persistent and egregious violations of the rights and privileges of workers in Imo State by the state government.”
“Despite our repeated efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and reach amicable agreements, the Imo State Government has become a habitual and serial breaker of these agreements, continuing to trample on the rights of workers in the state.
“As a result, we are left with no choice but to embark on mass protests and industrial actions beginning on the 1st day of November 2023,” Mr Ajaero said.
Earlier in the month, there was violence in the state as some thugs and police officers reportedly attacked Mr Ajaero and other members of the NLC who had assembled at the union’s council secretariat ahead of their planned protest in the state.
The national leadership of the NLC later said that Mr Ajaero was arrested by police operatives in the state.
The union also accused the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, of mobilising the thugs and the police officers to attack and arrest the NLC president to frustrate the planned protest in the state.
But the police later denied arresting Mr Ajaero, saying they only placed him in protective custody to shield him from attack by the thugs.
