Construction workers have declared a three-day warning strike beginning February 5th, citing their employer’s failure to implement the agreed-upon wage award.

The National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture, and Wood Workersand the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association jointly announced the strike in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

The decision to initiate the strike was reached during a collaborative National Executive Council meeting held on January 25, 2024.

The construction workers’ associations expressed dissatisfaction with their employers’ reluctance to discuss and implement the wage award agreed upon by the Federal Government and organized labor.

“The Joint NEC of both unions has directed all members to proceed on a three-day warning strike starting from Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the first instance to press home our demand. Consequent upon the above, all members across the board are advised to ensure total compliance,” the statement read.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, had previously appealed to construction workers to suspend their planned strike and called for a reconciliation meeting between workers and their employers to avert the impending strike.

However, the construction workers did not send representatives to attend the reconciliation meeting set up by the minister.

High Chief Vincent Barrah, president of the Construction and Civil Engineering Employers Association of Nigeria, clarified that the wage award was intended for federal government employees.