Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, partially complied with the directives of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) on a three-day warning strike, which commenced nationwide on Friday.
Some workers reported for duty, while others stayed away during a visit to some offices at the State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The Chairman of the NLC, Kayode Martins, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said the Joint Negotiation Council in Oyo State had communicated the directive to all its affiliate unions, following the decision of its national leadership to embark on the warning strike over the prevailing economic hardship and the Federal Government’s failure to address workers’ demands.
He explained that although the directive had been communicated to the various affiliates, not all civil servants might have been aware of the notice, while some workers had stayed away from their duty posts in compliance with the industrial action.
“It wasn’t the NLC; it was the Joint Negotiation Council that placed it.
“The Joint Negotiation Council, and the Joint Negotiation Council here in Oyo State, gave the directive to all affiliates,” Martins said.
The Oyo NLC chairman, however, acknowledged that compliance with the strike might not be total across the state, noting that some workers were still at their duty posts because they had not seen the notice announcing the industrial action.
“Some workers came to the office; people did not see the notice. Some workers did not show up today because they saw the notice.
“Not all civil servants are in the office today,” he stated.
Our correspondent reports that the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) had demanded a reduction in the pump price of petrol to N500 per litre, an immediate wage award for workers and the constitution of a tripartite committee to commence negotiations for a new national minimum wage of not less than N500,000 ahead of 2027.
The labour body had expressed disappointment over President Tinubu’s October 1 Independence Day broadcast, saying it failed to address the demands or announce concrete measures to alleviate the economic hardship confronting workers and other vulnerable Nigerians.
Asked whether workers would proceed on a full-blown strike if the three-day warning strike failed to produce the desired impact, Martins said the Oyo State chapter would abide by whatever decision was taken by the national leadership.
“Whatever comes from the National, we will abide.”
- Media Report