A nationwide strike is looming as negotiations between the federal government and organised labour ended in a deadlock on Thursday, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) extending the window for the government to address workers’ demands by five days.
The development followed a meeting between the government and labour leaders at the ministry of labour in Abuja on Thursday which ended without concrete commitments on the outstanding issues, prompting the unions to warn that they could resort to industrial action if meaningful progress was not made.
The extension effectively shifts the immediate pressure point to Tuesday, October 27, when both parties are expected to reconvene for another round of negotiations.
The NLC had, on October 9, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government, demanding a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, commencement of negotiations on the national minimum wage before the end of October, immediate implementation of agreed tax relief measures and payment of outstanding wage awards.
The ultimatum was intended to compel the government to respond to workers’ concerns over the rising cost of living, declining purchasing power and unresolved welfare commitments.
However, Thursday’s meeting failed to produce a breakthrough, with organised labour accusing the government delegation of arriving without adequate preparation and the necessary mandates to negotiate substantive solutions.
In a joint statement on Thursday and signed by NLC general-secretary, Comrade Benson Upah, and TUC secretary-general, Comrade Nuhu Toro, the labour centres said the government requested an adjournment to enable it to assemble the relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies for the next meeting.
The organised labour expressed disappointment that the government delegation had failed to come prepared for substantive engagement on the demands.
They said the outstanding demands went beyond petrol prices and minimum wage negotiations to include the implementation of agreed tax relief, the terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and demands by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) concerning peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
The labour centres warned that the government could not continue to delay action on issues affecting workers, stressing that the next meeting must produce meaningful progress.
Although organised labour said it remained committed to dialogue, it directed its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to remain on alert and begin mobilisation for possible nationwide action.
The unions also indicated that the NLC’s relevant organs would determine the next course of action if the government failed to make meaningful progress at the October 27 meeting.
The latest development raises the prospect of a nationwide industrial confrontation if the government fails to use the additional five days to address the demands, particularly as the end-of-October deadline for commencing minimum wage negotiations approaches.
The statement reads, “The meeting between the federal government and organised labour, convened at the ministry of labour in Abuja on 22nd October 2026, has ended without resolution. Labour presented its demands in good faith.
Regrettably, the government delegation came unprepared and without the necessary mandates to engage substantively on these issues. No concrete commitments were secured, and the outstanding issues remain unresolved.”
Explaining the adjournment, the statement added : “The honourable minister requested for adjournment of the meeting to Tuesday, 27th October 2026, to allow the government to make adequate arrangements for a productive session including assembling all the relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies.
NLC remains committed to dialogue, but we will not accept indefinite delay. We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action”.
“We call on Nigerian workers and the general public to remain calm and resolute. Organised Labour will be attending the next meeting believing that government will deliver on each of the workers’ demands. We assure all that we shall continue to pursue the interests of workers and the masses through every legitimate means available.
However, we urge all affiliates of NLC and TUC; all state councils and our civil society allies to be at alert and start mobilizing for a possible action across the nation while we hope that the tenets of our demands are met by the government”.
