Nigeria’s trade unions in indefinite strike
- Posted on Thursday 5 January 2012 - 07:00AfricaNews Monitoring Team with additional files from RuetersNigeria's main trade unions announced an indefinite strike and mass demonstrations from Monday unless the removal of a fuel subsidy is reversed. The withdrawal has led petrol prices to more than double since Monday, prompting anger countrywide.
"We have the total backing of all Nigerian workers on this strike and mass protest," the Nigeria Labour Congress's Chris Uyot told the BBC."All offices, oil production centres, air and sea ports, fuel stations, markets, banks, among others will be shut down," the National Labour Congress and Trades Union Congress said in a joint statement.
The elimination of the popular fuel subsidy caused the price of petrol to double overnight and sparked protests across the oil-rich country.
The trade unions said that if the government failed to restore the subsidy, they would direct "that indefinite general strikes, mass rallies and street protests be held across the country with the first on Monday, 9th January."
The government's fuel regulator announced the end of the subsidy on Sunday under sweeping economic reforms meant to improve fiscal discipline in Africa's biggest oil-producer, a move seen as likely to trigger social unrest.
Most Nigerians see the subsidy as the only benefit they derive from living in a country with vast oil deposits, which nevertheless has to import most of its refined petroleum at great cost to the Treasury.
The subsidy removal is part of efforts to cut Nigeria's exorbitant cost of government, a flagship policy of President Goodluck Jonathan and his economic team, alongside fixing the broken power sector and making ports more efficient.
Thousands of protesters took over the main square of the northern city of Kano on Wednesday, chanting slogans against the elimination of the subsidy.
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