Fuel price hike: NLC strike flops on Day 1

Federal civil servants yesterday defied the call by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on industrial action to protest the removal of fuel subsidy and subsequent increase in fuel price by the Federal Government.

While the Ayuba Wabba-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) meeting with the government broke down, the Joe Ajaero faction and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) struck a deal with the government and refused to join the strike.

Workers at the Federal Secretariat, the Head of Service and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) in Abuja reported for work and did not participate in the rally by the Wabba-led NLC later in the morning.

Some of the workers however told Daily Trust in their offices that they would have preferred the strike. “Since last week Thursday, most of us have been having it rough especially on transportation, the strike may have forced the government to reduce the price if it cannot revert to the N87 per litre,” one of the workers said.

The Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, in a statement, urged workers to report for duty and go about their normal businesses.

The statement said a circular issued to all permanent secretaries and heads of extra- ministerial departments by the HoCS and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office (CSO) in the Office of the HoCS, Mr. Yemi Adelakun, urged all civil servants to report punctually to work daily.

The SGF, Babachir David Lawal, had on Tuesday night directed all ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of government agencies to invoke the provision of ‘no work, no pay rule to any staff who joins the strike. He directed that attendance registers be opened in all MDAs to monitor compliance.

But the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU yesterday joined in the nation-wide strike organised by the Ayuba Wabba-led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

The National President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, said the union decided  to join  the strike because  other unions in the universities, including the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), held peaceful solidarity on campuses in support of the strike action.

“We have unanimously taken the directive of the NLC to proceed on indefinite strike against the increase in fuel price to N145. From the look of things, it will cause hardship. And the government has not engaged the labour leadership properly,” he said.