Public service workers under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) have commenced a three-day warning strike over what the council described as worsening economic hardship affecting workers and their dependants.
The strike began at midnight on Friday, October 2, and is scheduled to end on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
The directive was contained in a circular dated October 1 and signed by the National Secretary of the JNPSNC, Olowoyo Gbenga, directing the council’s national and state leaders to mobilise workers for the action.
According to the circular, the decision followed the Federal Government’s alleged failure to address requests earlier submitted to President Bola Tinubu in a letter dated September 21, 2026.
The council directed public servants in the federal, state and local government services to participate in the warning strike, citing the economic difficulties confronting workers and other Nigerians.
“The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating,” the council stated.
The planned action follows the council’s earlier demands for measures to cushion the impact of rising living costs, including a reduction in petrol prices, an immediate wage award and negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The JNPSNC had reportedly demanded a reduction of the petrol pump price to N500 per litre and the establishment of a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage.
The demands come amid concerns over rising prices of essential goods, transportation and other household expenses.
The council urged its leaders to ensure that the strike notice reached workers across the country, declaring that “the time to act and mobilise workers for the three-day warning strike is now.”
