Public servants across federal, state and local government services are set to embark on a three-day nationwide warning strike from Friday, October 2, following the failure of the Federal Government to address key demands raised by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC).
The JNPSNC directed its affiliate unions to ensure compliance with the industrial action, which is scheduled to run from midnight on October 2 to Sunday, October 4. The council said the strike is intended to draw attention to what it described as worsening economic hardship affecting workers and vulnerable Nigerians.
Among the workers’ demands is a reduction in the pump price of petrol to ₦500 per litre, alongside the introduction of a wage award to cushion the effects of rising living costs. The council is also calling for the immediate establishment of a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage expected to become due in 2027.
The warning strike follows a September 21 letter sent by the JNPSNC leadership to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu outlining the workers’ demands. The council had given the Federal Government until September 30 to take action, warning that failure to do so would trigger the planned industrial action.
The unions said their decision followed what they described as the failure of the President’s Independence Day address to address their demands, particularly the request for a reduction in petrol prices and immediate measures to ease economic hardship. The planned action is expected to affect public servants across federal, state and local government services.