Public service workers across Nigeria are set to embark on a three-day warning strike from October 2 to 4, 2026, following growing concerns over worsening economic hardship and the declining purchasing power of workers.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) directed its national and state leadership to mobilise workers for the industrial action, which is scheduled to begin at midnight on Friday, October 2, and end on Sunday, October 4.
The directive was contained in a circular dated October 1, 2026, signed by the National Secretary of the council, Olowoyo Gbenga.
The council called on workers in the Federal, State and Local Government services to participate in the warning strike, saying the economic situation had become increasingly difficult for workers and their dependants.
The council said, “The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating,” while urging its leadership to immediately commence mobilisation for the action.
The decision, according to the council, followed the Federal Government’s alleged failure to respond to demands earlier submitted to President Bola Tinubu in a letter dated September 21, 2026.
Among the demands previously presented by the workers are measures to reduce the impact of rising living costs, including a reduction in petrol prices to N500 per litre, an immediate wage award for workers and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The JNPSNC also called for the establishment of a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage.
The council said the hardship being experienced by workers had been compounded by rising prices of essential commodities, transportation costs and other household expenses.
It urged workers across the country to close ranks and support the warning strike, stressing that the action was aimed at drawing attention to the plight of workers, their dependants and vulnerable Nigerians.
The council declared: “All public servants in the services of Federal, State and Local Governments are to join the warning strike because an injury to one is an injury to all.”
It further directed its national and state leaders to ensure that the strike notice reached workers across the country.
The planned action comes as organised labour continues to demand measures to cushion the impact of the rising cost of living and improve workers’ welfare.
As of the time the circular was issued, the JNPSNC maintained that the three-day warning strike would proceed as scheduled.
