The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it would mobilise its members to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike if the current price of premium motor spirit better known as petrol increases.
President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, gave the warning on Monday at the African Trade Union alliance meeting in Abuja.
On Sunday, oil marketers hinted that the pump price of petrol would rise to over N700 per litre if the naira continues to depreciate against the dollar, especially at the parallel market.
Currently, petrol is being sold at N617 per litre in many parts of the country and N577 in Lagos.
On several occasions, organised labour had criticised the hike in the price of petrol, saying the federal government must provide palliatives for workers over the removal of subsidy.
At the event, Ajaero said the Nigerian workers will not give any notice of strike if petrol price increases in the coming days.
“As we are here they are contemplating increasing the pump price of petroleum products and the federal ministry of labour and employment, for some time now, will only go to the federal ministry of justice to come up with injunctions to hold the hands of labour not to respond,” he said.
“Let me say this, Nigerian workers will not give any notice if we wake up from our sleep to hear that they have tempered with prices of petroleum products.
“They have started floating ideas of a likely increase in the pump price of petroleum products.”
The organised labour had early suspended a proposed indefinite strike on Thursday, August 4, 2023, following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.