Nigeria moves to avert Labour strike over petrol price, electricity tariff hikes

*Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister for Labour and Employment holds emergency meeting with Labour Thursday

*Organised Labour urges Federal Government to listen to cries of workers and other suffering Nigerians to reverse price increases in the interest of industrial peace, social order: NLC President Ayuba Wabba

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In its last-ditch effort at averting a planned indefinite national strike and mass protests over the recent hikes in electricity tariffs and petrol pump price, which the Labour Union has slated for Monday, September 28, 2020, the Federal Government has invited Labour leaders for a meeting Thursday.

ConsumerConnect learnt the proposed meeting is to be hosted by Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Honourable Minister for Labour and Employment, is scheduled to hold by 3:00p.m. at the Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, in Abuja, FCT.

The last peace meeting between the Federal Government’s representatives and Organised Labour September 15 was said to have ended without any agreement.

One of leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, acknowledged receipt of government’s invitation and confirmed that Labour leaders will attend.

The leader said: “Yes, our leaders received invitation from government for a meeting on Thursday (today). We will attend the meeting because we have made demands.

“We will attend the meeting to see if our demands will be addressed.”

It is recalled that both the NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have rejected the hikes in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariffs, and have demanded their reversal to avoid nationwide strike and mass protests.

Report further noted that as the TUC had earlier given the government a seven-day ultimatum which expired Tuesday, September 22 to revert to old prices, the NLC also gave September 28 deadline for government to cancel the new increments.

The TUC, however, extended its strike notice Tuesday to tally with the NLC deadline on September 28.

Same Tuesday, the highest decision making organ of NLC, the National Executive Council (NEC), ratified the September 28 countrywide indefinite strike and mass protests should government fail to revert to old prices.

The NLC NEC meeting held at Labour House, Abuja, the NEC had ordered the 36 NLC state’s councils and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to intensify mobilisation of workers and other Nigerians, faulting the timing of the increases.

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President of NLC,  after the NEC meeting advised the Federal Government to in the interest of industrial peace and social order listen to cries of workers and other suffering Nigerians and rescind the increases.

Wabba warned that failure to meet the demands would make the planned strike and mass protests inevitable.

“The National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress comprising members of the National Administrative Council, President and General Secretary of members of the affiliate unions and our state council chairpersons and secretaries of the 36 states and FCT met today (yesterday) and resolved as follows:

“NEC resolved to reject in its entirety the issue of hike in electricity tariffs by almost 100 per cent as well as the fuel price increase in the name of full deregulation.

“This decision is premised on the fact that these twin decisions alongside other decisions of government including the increase of VAT by 7.5 percent, numerous charges being charged by commercial banks on depositors without any explanations will further impoverish Nigerian workers and citizens, including their families.

“Therefore, this increase, coming in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, is not only ill-timed, but it is also counterproductive.

He stated that “NEC also observed that the privatisation of the electricity sub-sector seven years down the line has not yielded any positive result.

“Whereas, the entire privatization process, the entire sector was sold at about N400 billion, we are also surprised that government within the last four years injected N1.5 trillion over and above the amount that accrued from this important asset.

“Therefore, NEC came to the conclusion that the entire privatisation process has failed and the electricity hike is actually a process of continuous exploitation of Nigerians.

“On the issue of the refineries and also increase in the pump price of PMS, this particular issue had been on the table for more than three decades and the argument had not changed.

“Whether it is the name of full deregulation or subsidy removal, what is obvious is that it is fuel price hike and this has further eroded the gains of the N30,000 minimum wage because it has spiral effects which include the high costs of food and services and the reduction in the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians.”

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