Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has warned that Nigerians will suffer if the Organised Labour persists with its nationwide strike.
In an interview on Monday, Onyejeocha highlighted the adverse impacts of the strike, which began after the union and the federal government failed to reach an agreement on the minimum wage.
The strike, which commenced on Monday, has disrupted activities across various sectors, resulting in the closure of schools, hospitals, and offices. The Minister expressed concern over the immediate effects on students, noting that many could not reach their exam centers due to transportation issues.
The Minister stated, “We know what the issues are and we hope they will be resolved, but going to strike will take the matter to the extreme with a lot of negative implications to both our economy and the welfare of the citizens.
“If the strike continues, the citizens will suffer and they have started suffering.
“Our students who were supposed to be taking exams have been affected because they can’t find means of transportation to exams centres.
“There are people who can’t eat until they go to their places of work. Some people who work at the Secretariat live daily on what they get from the officers there,” she added.
She lamented the effect of the strike on hospitals, stating that the National grid shutdown will continue to affect a lot of medical procedures.
She stressed that hospitals being inaccessible, and doctors not being able to perform their duties might lead to death of patients.
“On production side, we know that when activities are shut down, it will affect our economy. Businesses will definitely be affected. Social life has also been affected too”, she stated.
Despite a meeting between the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Federal Government on Monday night, which resulted in an agreement, the NLC has decided to proceed with the nationwide strike.
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