Public sector unions under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, have directed all federal, state and local government employees, including staff of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, nationwide, to begin a three-day warning strike from midnight today over the failure of government to address their demands.
The council directed union officials in the federal, state and local government services to ensure total compliance with the industrial action, citing what it described as worsening economic and mental hardship being experienced by workers and other Nigerians.
This came as President Bola Tinubu did not make a reference to the workers demand to slash fuel price to N500 and adopt measures to cushion the effect of the economic hardship in his Indepencence Day broadcast, yesterday.
Members of the JNPSNC include the Nigerian Civil Service Union, NCSU; Medical and Health Workers Union, M&HWU; Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN; and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM.
Others are the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees, AUPCTRE; Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers, NUPSRAW; National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers, NUPPPPROW; and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees, NUAEE.
Employees of federal and state government MDAs are also affected.
The warning strike followed the failure of the Federal Government to address demands contained in a letter dated September 21, 2026, to President Tinubu by the national leadership of the JNPSNC.
The council explained that the action was necessary to press home its concerns over the hardship confronting workers and vulnerable Nigerians.
The council had on September 29, threatened a three-day warning strike should its demands for the petrol price to be cut to N500 a litre, a wage award and other measures to cushion the hardship in the country not be met or addressed by President Tinubu during his Independence Anniversary Address to the nation, yesterday.
The JNPSNC leadership, expressed disappointed that President Tinubu, in his Independence anniversary address, did not heed the demand for the pump price of petrol to be slashed to N500, from the current N1,400 to N2,000 per litre, depending on the location, or announce immediate measures to ameliorate the socio-economic hardship caused by government policies.
Directive to proceed on strike
The directive to proceed on the warning strike was contained in a circular by JNPSNC’s National Secretary (Trade Union side), Olowoyo Gbenga, yesterday, to the national presidents and general secretaries, state chairmen and secretaries of affiliate unions to the JNPSNC, entitled “Declaration of three day Warning Strike; action with immediate effect.”
The circular reads: “Please, recall the position of the National leadership of JNPSNC that if Mr President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tinubu refuses to address our requests as contained in the letter to his exalted office (dated September 21, 2026), the three day warning strike earlier scheduled shall commence immediately.
“Consequent upon the above, the strike shall start with effect from midnight of Friday, October 2, 2026, to Sunday, October 4, 2026.
“In the same vein, all public servants in the services of federal, state and local governments are to join the warning strike because an injury to one is an injury to all, most especially all workers, their dependants, vulnerable and hapless Nigerians are groaning terribly under the present economic hardship.
“The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating. The time to act and mobilise workers for the three days warning strike is now. Please, disseminate the information. Surely, there is victory for us.”
Deeply disappointed
Expressing their frustration, one of the leaders of the JNPSNC told Vanguard newspapers: “We are deeply disappointed that the President’s Independence Anniversary address failed to address our legitimate demands for a reduction in the pump price of petrol and the introduction of concrete measures to alleviate the excruciating hardship confronting workers and other Nigerians.
“While the President acknowledged the severe suffering inflicted on citizens by government policies, it is deeply concerning that the speech offered no concrete relief or meaningful response to the urgent demands of Nigerian workers.
“In view of this failure to address these pressing concerns, our three-day warning strike will proceed as planned.”
The strike notice
Recall that the JNPSNC had, on September 21, written to President Tinubu, demanding that the price of petrol be slashed to N500, the immediate announcement of a wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a minimum wage of not less than N500,000 from 2027, among other demands.
