There is an escalating rift within Nigeria’s labour movement as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has criticised the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to declare a two-day nationwide protest without prior consultation.
Two weeks ago, both TUC and NLC issued a joint ultimatum to the federal government on the widespread economic hardship in the country.
“This ultimatum will expire on Thursday, February 22nd of February and the right thing to do was for both leaderships to review the situation and agree on the way forward,” said TUC in a letter to Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC President.
Signed by the TUC General Secretary, Comrade Dr. A.S. Nuhu Toro, the letter said this was the third time the NLC had taken such a unilateral action under Ajaero’s leadership, calling it an intentional act to marginalise the TUC and its members.
The letter urged the NLC to reconsider its decision and respect the MOU that both parties had agreed to develop to guide their collaboration on issues of mutual interest.
“TUC had stayed away from the two-day warning strike that the NLC staged in September 2023, over the same issue of unilateral decision,” said Comrade Toro.
The letter cited the example of the joint action that was taken against the governor of Imo state, who had sacked thousands of workers without due process, as a demonstration of their collective strength and synergy.
Comrade Toro added; “That was the kind of collaboration the Nigerian working people and the downtrodden expected from us.
Meanwhile, the NLC had announced on February 16, that it would hold a two-day mass protest between February 27 and 28 across the country to demand for urgent government action on the economic crisis and insecurity in the country.
The NLC said the protest was a follow-up to the 14-day ultimatum it issued to the government on February 8, along with the TUC, to reverse the hike in fuel price and electricity tariff, or face industrial action.
“The protest is a response to the failure of the government to implement the agreements reached with the organised labour in October 2023, when the unions suspended a planned strike over the same issues,” both NLC and TUC stated in the letter.
