NLC orders Osun workers to begin 3-day strike over withheld local government funds
NLC orders Osun workers to begin 3-day strike over withheld local government funds
The Nigeria Labour Congress, Osun State Council, has directed all its affiliate unions to embark on a three-day sympathy strike over the continued withholding of statutory allocations due to the state’s local government councils.
The industrial action is in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees and follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government and the Osun State Government.
In a statement jointly signed by the State Chairperson, Christopher Arapasopo, and Secretary, Victor Amusan, the congress said the issues raised in the ultimatum remain unresolved despite earlier efforts to secure a solution.
“Consequently, having exhausted all reasonable avenues and in accordance with the resolutions reached at the emergency meeting of the State Executive Council (SEC) held on Wednesday, 28th October, 2026, all affiliate unions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Osun State Council, are hereby directed to proceed on the three-day sympathy strike in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State Council,” the statement read.
The strike is scheduled to commence at midnight on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and conclude at midnight on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
All affiliate unions have been instructed to communicate the directive in writing to their members and ensure total compliance across workplaces. The congress warned that any union or member found working against the strike would face disciplinary measures.
The prolonged dispute over local government funds has been a source of tension in Osun State for many months. Labour leaders have described the withholding of the allocations as a grave injustice against local government workers that has affected their welfare, allowances, cooperative deductions and other entitlements.
While the state government has intervened by paying workers’ net salaries from its own resources, organised labour maintains that this cannot replace the regular release of the statutory funds meant for the councils.
The NLC had earlier threatened peaceful picketing of United Bank for Africa branches across the state if the matter remained unresolved after the ultimatum period. The three-day action now marks an escalation of the pressure on both the federal and state authorities to resolve the funding crisis.
Local government workers have long argued that the absence of the allocations has weakened the ability of the 30 councils in the state to meet their constitutional responsibilities and support grassroots development. The congress insists the struggle is not limited to NULGE alone but remains a collective responsibility of the entire labour movement in Osun.
