Leaders of Nigeria’s primary labor unions announced on Tuesday their intention to commence an indefinite strike next week in protest of a severe cost-of-living crisis triggered by the government’s decision to eliminate a popular yet expensive petrol subsidy.
In May, President Bola Tinubu discontinued a decades-old subsidy that had maintained low fuel prices but had been placing a significant strain on government finances.
This decision has led to a substantial increase in the prices of food, transportation, and electricity, as the majority of businesses and households depend on petrol generators for power supply.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Nigeria, the largest labor unions, have announced that they will commence their indefinite strike on October 3rd.
“It’s going to be a total shutdown … until government meets the demand of Nigerian workers, and in fact Nigerian masses,” the union leaders said in a joint statement.
