Nigeria’s largest labour federations had on Monday night, announced that they were suspending an indefinite strike that was scheduled to commence on Tuesday after last-minute talks with President Bola Tinubu’s administration. It was said that the administration had warned that the strike action could further damage the economy.
Tinubu has been under pressure since he was inaugurated in May, to alleviate the country’s economic hardships after he removed a decades-old fuel subsidy and permitted the Naira to depreciate, leading to skyrocketing prices in Africa’s biggest economy and major oil producer.
The government had allowed for a temporary wage increase for government workers, a three-month income subsidy for about 15 million poor households and a break in a value-added tax on diesel, among several other concessions to stop the strike.
The unions in return will suspend the strike for 30 days as negotiations continue on a new minimum wage for all Nigerian workers, and their other demands the unions have listed.
Joe Ajaero, the leader of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had told newsmen that if after 30 days and the issues had not been solved, it would only serve to showcase the government in a bad light
