Distribution of petroleum products, banking and other essential services will be grounded from today as workers in the petroleum, financial, maritime and other sectors of the economy begin a nationwide strike as directed by organized labour.

This is even as stakeholders in the organized private sector are expressing worries over effects of the strike, saying it could send the economy back into recession. The strike, according to labour, is essentially to compel the Federal Government to announce its figure and ensure completion of work on the new national minimum wage.

This came as a last-minute effort by the Federal Government to prevent the strike failed yesterday. Consequently, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), including its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), will from today withdraw their services nationwide. Similarly, workers in the aviation, transportation (railway), construction, manufacturing, hospitals, schools, among others, are expected to also stay away from their duty posts. In the same vein, public workers in government offices, ministries, departments, agencies, (MDAs) educational institutions, and others are expected to stay at home.

Labour calls out workers to strike

It will be recalled that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, had on Tuesday directed all their affiliate unions and state councils nationwide to begin strike

President of ASSBIFI, Mrs Oyinkan Olasanoye, told journalists yesterday that as directed by TUC, their umbrella body, the association had informed their management that members would not report for today, as banks and other financial institutions would be shut.

She said:  “We have sent letters to banks, insurance and other management in the financial sector that from tomorrow (today), our members will be joining the nationwide strike directed by organized labour. “So, I can tell you that the sector will be shut from tomorrow (today). We have already directed our members to comply fully.” Also, President of NUPENG, Prince Williams Akporeha, told Vanguard:  “Our members nationwide will comply with the directive of ULC in particular, which is our umbrella body, as well as directive jointly issued by organized labour.  So, there will be no loading and discharge of petroleum products during the duration of the strike.”

Meanwhile, leaders of organized labour yesterday directed workers to go ahead with the nationwide strike from today as scheduled after attempts by the Federal Government to persuade them not to go ahead with the strike yielded no positive results. However, the Federal Government disclosed that the Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee would resume sitting next Thursday to continue the negotiation process. Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, disclosed this to journalists after meeting behind closed doors with some members of the Tripartite Committee. Vanguard gathered that the meeting was to persuade labour leaders to consider government’s position on the planned strike and also to update them on government’s decision. He said:  “One of the ways we are going to show it is by implementing the new national minimum wage and this we need to fix a base for the lowest paid worker in Nigeria. “We are resuming next week, precisely on Thursday, October 4, and the meeting may spill over to October 5, as we normally use two days for the meeting. So, we are reconvening the meeting on October 4, and all the process have been put in place.”

We don’t need  the strike  — Ngige

He noted that the labour leaders have been informed about it and were expected to communicate to their members, saying “we do not need to have any strike in the country.” Ngige said further: “Part of our consultation means that the Economic Management Team which is managing the entire economy of the country would have something to work on.

“Already they are working on it and the National Salaries and Wages Commission and it is expected that before that meeting on October 4, they would have been through with the work. “So, everything is subject to negotiation, so on Thursday, October 4, we are going back to the negotiating table.” Ngige claimed that the 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government did not get to him, stressing that “we would have addressed it scientifically the way it should be done.”

He also said the Federal Government was optimistic that the committee would wrap up in October and that all other processes as they concerned the new national minimum wage for workers in the country would be completed. Also speaking to journalists, President of  NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said the outcome of the briefing by the minister would be communicated to their members. He said: “As you are aware, there is a meeting where the Minister of Labour tried to address us because since the time we issued this notice, there was no consultation or meeting.

Vanguard