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Despite the on-going high-level meetings between the Federal Government and labour unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and United Labour Congress, ULC, have vowed to continue the strike action.
The labour unions had began an indefinite strike on Thursday in a dispute over the minimum wage.
Labour leaders said the strike tempo will be heightened as many more units joining in the ‘struggle’ on Friday.
Meanwhile and a key oil industry union PENGASSAN said it would join, in a decision that could potentially impact crude output.
“We are to proceed on the action with immediate effect. However, those on critical and essential services are required to remain on their duty posts,” PENGASSAN said in a statement.
South Africa’s telecoms group MTN on Thursday told its staff in Nigeria to stay at home after the country’s main unions launched a nationwide strike to demand a higher minimum wage from the government.
Evidence the first day however suggested patial adherence to the strike.
Government offices were shut in the capital, Abuja, while most of the city’s banks were closed, but the commercial capital Lagos was largely unaffected.
The strike began a day after talks between President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and unions broke down. It is intended to raise pressure on authorities to produce a minimum wage proposal.
Unions want the monthly minimum wage raised to about N56, 000.
