Workers Shut Down Economy Hours into the Indefinite National Wage Strike

Workers are gradually crippling the economy as the nationwide strike kicked off in the early hours of Monday.

Electricity workers at 2.10 am shut down the national power grid, thereby plunging the country into blackout.

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said the striking workers also forced some of the major power plants to shut down some of their generating units.

Also, lecturers in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education boycotted lectures leaving students stranded on campuses nationwide.

Flights were also disrupted as aviation workers shut down airports nationwide.

At the seaports in Lagos and other parts of the country, maritime workers also shut gates into the facilities.

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Also shut down were the courts, the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, Federal Secretariat, and Public Offices Nationwide.

The organised labour has shut down all entry points of aviation agencies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to press home their demands for the implementation of a new National Minimum Wage.

This action has, however, affected flight operations at the nation’s busiest airport as airlines as passengers were left stranded at the airport entrances.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the Aviation unions directed its members to withdraw services across airports in Nigeria.

The unions decided after an emergency meeting held on Sunday.

On Friday, organised labour members announced an indefinite nationwide strike in response to the Federal Government’s refusal to increase the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero stated that the strike would commence at midnight on Sunday, June 2, 2024.

Reading from a jointly prepared speech with his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Festus Osifo, the NLC leader expressed grave concern and disappointment over the Federal Government’s failure to finalize and enact a new National Minimum Wage Act and to reverse the increase in electricity tariffs to N65/kWh.