The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had announced a two-day nationwide protest to take place on February 27 and 28 over the cost of living crisis and economic hardship. However, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has withdrawn from the planned protests, citing issues with the process adopted by the NLC in fixing the date for the demonstrations.
In a letter dated February 19, 2024, the TUC’s Secretary General, Dr Nuhu Toro, had communicated the union’s grievances over the planned protests to the NLC President, Joe Ajaero. The TUC argued that both unions should have jointly decided on the dates for the protests since they had jointly issued a two-week ultimatum to the government.
The TUC leadership had expected to come together with the NLC leadership to review the situation and agree on the next steps after the expiration of the warning. However, Ajaero unilaterally declared the dates for the protests, prompting the TUC to back out of the planned demonstrations.
According to Tommy Etim, the Vice-President of the TUC, decisions of such magnitude should have been made collectively to ensure the interests and perspectives of all parties involved were duly considered. The TUC also noted that this was the third time Ajaero would make such decisions without carrying the trade union leaders along, which they deemed as an intentional act to undermine them.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has urged the NLC to reconsider their plans to protest, given that the demonstration could worsen the country’s socio-economic conditions and lead to a crisis. The DSS has advised the NLC to give the government a chance to resolve the issues since they are already making efforts to handle the challenges.
TUC withdraws from scheduled protest, alleging NLC president’s authoritarian behavior
