By Ade Oyeyemi
Public servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council have threatened to embark on a three-day warning strike from October 2 if the Federal Government fails to address their demands over petrol prices, wage awards and negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The JNPSNC, which comprises eight public sector unions, said the September 30 deadline issued to the Federal Government remained unchanged.
The council is demanding that the price of Premium Motor Spirit be reduced to N500 per litre, an immediate wage award for workers and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage expected to take effect in 2027.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the JNPSNC National Secretary and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Gbenga Olowoyo, the council said public servants nationwide had been mobilised for the proposed industrial action.
The council had, on September 21, written to President Bola Tinubu, outlining its demands and calling for urgent measures to ease the economic difficulties confronting workers and their dependants.
The unions argued that the prevailing cost of petrol had placed additional pressure on workers and other Nigerians, calling on the Federal Government to intervene in the pricing of petroleum products.
“The current price of PMS, ranging from N1,450 to N2,000 and, in some locations outside major communities and cities, as high as N2,500 per litre, is unacceptable to Nigerian workers,” the council stated.
It urged the government to consider an intervention fund to reduce the landing cost of petrol and support operators in the oil and gas sector.
The JNPSNC also called for crude oil to be made available to the Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators on appropriate terms, arguing that increased domestic refining could help reduce the cost of petroleum products.
On workers’ welfare, the council demanded an immediate wage award to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
It said such a measure would help workers cope with prevailing economic pressures and sustain their commitment and productivity in the public service.
The council also urged the Federal Government to constitute a tripartite committee to begin negotiations on a new national minimum wage ahead of the expected review in 2027.
According to the unions, establishing the committee early would prevent delays in negotiating and implementing a new wage structure after an agreement is reached and the necessary legislation is passed.
The JNPSNC warned that failure to address its demands by September 30 would leave it with “no option” but to commence the planned three-day warning strike on Friday, October 2.
The council further urged President Tinubu to address the concerns in his Independence Day broadcast, stressing that workers and other vulnerable Nigerians were bearing the impact of the economic hardship.
READ ALSO
- Osun Food Scheme: Angry residents loot warehouse after operators disappear
- 2025 Budget: NASS extends capital spending deadline
- Workers threaten strike in October over petrol price, minimum wage
- 2027: Oyebanji, PDP’s Oluyede pledge Ekiti votes for Tinubu
- Tinubu returns to Nigeria after working vacation in France
Members of the JNPSNC include the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives.
Others are the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees; Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers; National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers; and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees.
