We Will Not Be Intimidated— NLC Tells Government, TCN

The Nigeria Labour Congress has said it is not intimidated by any government entity or organisation over its decision to embark on a nationwide strike.

The NLC made this known in a press release today, June 3, 2024, following an industrial action, which began early Monday morning amid accusations of falsehood and neglect by the government.

The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initiated the indefinite industrial action, citing the Federal Government’s failure to conclude on the national minimum wage negotiations and its refusal to reverse the recent electricity tariff hike.

The NLC condemned the spreading of what it called “outright falsehood” by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which claimed that the nationwide strike was solely impacting their operations.

“The TCN should understand that it is not the only company affected by the massive withdrawal of services by Nigerian workers,” the NLC stated.

“It should not make this a TCN affair as other organisations also suffered breakdowns in service as a result of the nationwide industrial action.”

The NLC and TUC issued a notice to the Federal Government earlier in May regarding the incomplete national minimum wage negotiation process and the vexatious hike in electricity tariffs.

They demanded completion of the wage-setting process and a reversal of the hiked tariff to ₦66/KWH but received no positive response from the government.

“We had expected that a responsible and proactive management would have anticipated the impact of the strike and urged the government to meet the demands of Nigerian workers. Unfortunately, the TCN was not responsive and failed to take adequate steps to avert the strike,” the press release continued.

The NLC criticised TCN for attempting to scapegoat the labour unions instead of addressing the workers’ legitimate grievances.

They also accused the TCN management of deploying military personnel to intimidate and harass workers, warning that any injury inflicted on workers would be the TCN’s responsibility.

“Deploying the military to TCN locations is a clear abuse and insult to the military, especially in a democracy. We are sure that members of the military, misused by this deployment are not happy with the management and authorities who authorised it,” the statement added.

Despite government pleas and last-minute negotiations, the NLC and TUC remained resolute.

TUC President Festus Osifo confirmed that labour leaders stood firm on their demands, refusing to call off the strike.

The unions have vowed to persist in their struggle for a fair living wage, and the reversal of the electricity tariff. They called on all Nigerians to stand in solidarity and join the nationwide industrial action.

“We will not back down and we will not give in to any blackmail, intimidation, or harassment,” the NLC declared.

“This is our collective struggle and together, we can throw off the shackles that have kept us marooned in the cesspit of massive and excruciating suffering.”

The labour unions also expressed their gratitude to Nigerians for their solidarity on the first day of the strike, urging them to continue supporting the movement to achieve a better future for all.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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