By Chinedu Echianu
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have threatened to direct workers across the country to stay at home if the worsening insecurity in Nigeria continues unchecked, warning that workers can no longer be expected to risk their lives simply to earn a living.
The labour centres issued the warning on Monday during a joint press conference at the ongoing 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
At the news conference which had in attendance the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero; Deputy President of TUC, Oyibo Jimoh, and the General Secretary of TUC, Nuhu Toro among other labour leaders, the unions said the proposed stay-at-home action would not be a strike but a measure aimed at protecting workers from escalating violence, insurgency, kidnappings and attacks across the country.
“If the insurgency and violence continue, we may have no choice but to direct our members to stay at home — not as a strike, but as a desperate act of survival,” the labour leaders declared, adding that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had already begun similar actions in some affected areas.
The NLC and TUC described insecurity as the greatest threat to decent work in Nigeria, noting that workers now face life-threatening risks on a daily basis. They cited attacks on communities, the displacement of millions of citizens, the abduction of teachers, attacks on healthcare workers and the destruction of economic activities in many parts of the country.
The unions claimed that nearly 2,000 Nigerians were killed in the first quarter of 2026 alone, warning that no labour policy or employment programme can succeed where the right to life is not guaranteed.
Beyond insecurity, organised labour expressed concern over the country’s worsening economic situation, saying inflation and rising living costs have pushed millions of Nigerians into poverty. According to the unions, workers’ wages have been severely eroded by soaring prices of food, transportation, housing and healthcare despite government claims of economic stability.
They called on the Federal Government to immediately convene a national dialogue on what they described as a “crisis of survival” facing ordinary Nigerians and urged authorities to implement relief measures to cushion the impact of economic hardship on workers.
The labour centres also announced plans to commence negotiations for a new national minimum wage by July 2026, ahead of the expiration of the current minimum wage law next year. They said they would demand a living wage that reflects current economic realities and rejected any attempt to impose taxes or additional levies on minimum wage earners.
On labour relations, the NLC and TUC accused some state governments of interfering in the affairs of trade unions and undermining democratically elected labour leaders. They specifically cited alleged interference in Edo, Lagos and Rivers states, warning that organised labour would resist any action aimed at weakening the independence of trade unions.
The unions also used the occasion to call for stronger international regulations on artificial intelligence and digital platform work, arguing that technological innovation must not come at the expense of workers’ rights. They urged the International Labour Organization (ILO) to accelerate efforts toward a binding global convention that guarantees fair wages, collective bargaining rights and social protection for platform workers.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the labour leaders said the movement would support only political parties and candidates that demonstrate commitment to workers’ welfare, security, quality education, healthcare and respect for trade union freedoms.
