The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, has threatened to mobilise Nigerian public servants for a three-day warning strike from 2 October if the Federal Government fails to address its demands on fuel prices, wage awards and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage by 30 September.
The council said the deadline it had given the Federal Government to respond to the issues contained in its letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remained sacrosanct, warning that failure to act before the deadline would leave public servants with no option but to embark on industrial action.
The National Secretary of the JNPSNC and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
Gbenga said the three issues were critical to the welfare and purchasing power of public servants and required urgent intervention by the Federal Government.
On fuel prices, the council demanded that the government take measures to bring the pump price of petrol down to N500 per litre, proposing an intervention fund to address landing costs and assist oil and gas operators.
The council also called on the Federal Government to make crude oil available to the Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators, saying such measures could help reduce the cost of petrol.
It said the current petrol prices, which it put at between N1,450 and N2,500 per litre in various parts of the country, were putting increasing pressure on workers and their dependants.
“The current price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being sold at N1,450, N2,000 and N2,500 in many places outside major communities and cities is unacceptable,” the council said, stressing that the survival of Nigerian workers, their dependants and the general populace was being threatened by the rising cost of living.
The JNPSNC also demanded the immediate payment of a wage award to workers to cushion the impact of the prevailing economic conditions.
According to the council, the wage award would provide relief to workers and other vulnerable Nigerians affected by rising living costs.
It urged the Federal Government to act quickly on the demand, arguing that improved welfare would enable public servants to sustain their commitment and productivity within the public service.
The third demand is the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to begin preparations for negotiations on a new national minimum wage due in 2027.
Gbenga said the council was concerned that delaying the constitution of the committee could create a gap between the expiration of the current wage framework and the implementation of a new one.
“The Federal Government should set up a Tripartite Committee to facilitate the process of negotiation for the new national minimum wage that will be due in 2027,” the statement said.
The council said the committee should be constituted early enough to allow negotiations and other statutory processes to be concluded without delaying implementation of the new wage.
It consequently warned that if the Federal Government failed to address the demands by 30 September, “the Nigerian workers will not hesitate to go on three-day warning strike” from Friday, 2 October.
The council further urged President Tinubu to use his Independence Day address to respond to the issues, saying any failure to address them would have consequences for industrial relations.
“It is very imperative to state in very clear terms that the Independence Day speech of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must address those issues,” the council said.
It added that failure to respond to the demands would attract the “annoyance of Nigerian workers and their dependants as well as hapless Nigerians.”
The JNPSNC said its position was aimed at securing relief for workers and ensuring timely preparations for the next national minimum wage negotiation process.