The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given President Bola Tinubu’s administration a seven-day ultimatum to address what it described as lingering infractions against Nigerian workers, including the failure to constitute the governing board of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the alleged diversion of workers’ funds.
The strike threat was contained in a communiqué issued by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, after a meeting of the union’s Central Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ajaero accused the Federal Government of diverting workers’ contributions through the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and warned that the NSITF must, within the seven days, account for and return all allegedly diverted funds or risk a nationwide strike.
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The labour leader also condemned what he described as “cyber and media bullying of the trade unions and leadership” and alleged covert attempts to amend the NSITF Act in a way that would “disenfranchise workers and hand full control of their funds to the government.”
Another flashpoint in the dispute is the Federal Government’s claim of ownership of the NLC National Headquarters. According to Ajaero, the property belongs to Nigerian workers, not the government.
On PenCom, Ajaero insisted that the board must be fully constituted in line with the law before the ultimatum expires. He also demanded that the commission submit a comprehensive status report of pension funds to the NLC within the same period.
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“If at the end of these seven working days nothing is done, the NLC will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the sector,” Ajaero warned.
The ultimatum sets the stage for a possible nationwide strike if the government fails to meet the union’s demands.