The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday vehemently opposed the petrol pump price hike by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other marketers, describing the sudden jack up of the price as a betrayal of the Nigerian workers by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
The President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement issued on the fiscal measure, lamented that Nigerian workers were filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the Federal Government clandestinely increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol without justification.
The labour leader stated that one of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage by the organized labour groups was the understanding that the pump price of petrol would not be increased even when they knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
He recalled when President Tinubu gave us the labour groups the devil’s alternatives to choose from either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of petrol pump price to between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old PMS rates), and that they opted for the latter because the labour leaders could not bring themselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
Ajaero rued: “But here we are, barely one month after and with government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain. It is both traumatic and nightmarish.
“Yet, when we told government that it’s approach to resolving the fuel subsidy contradictions was patently faulty and would not last, it’s front row cheer leaders sneered at us, saying we did not understand basic economics .
“But if truth be told, this act of betrayal is consistent with the character of this government. We recall the assurances we were given by the leadership of the National Assembly on the 250% tariff hike, that it had been dealt with and there was no need to openly engage the Minister of Power who was at that meeting.
“Instead of the promised reversal, the rate has since been jerked up further putting more Nigerians and businesses in jeopardy”, the NLC President added.
While recalling the recent clampdown by security agencies of protesters that participated in the nationwide protest for improved governance in the country, Ajaero maintained that now that the chickens had come to roost, workers were right in their suspicions about the sincerity of the government in its negotiations on the minimum wage.
According to him, the organized labour wants Nigerians to know that the clandestine/surreptitious increase in the pump price of petrol is the first among the equally sinister policies the government has up its sleeve.
He maintained that on the part of the labour groups, they stand resolute with the people and will neither be distracted nor intimidated by the government or its security agencies, insisting that government cannot criminalise protests or basic rights in the domain of the citizenry.
On the fuel pump price hike, the NLC President demanded the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country; release of all those incarcerated or being prosecuted on the assumption of having participated in the recent protests; and halting of the indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens on trumped up charges;
In addition, the labour leader demanded the eversal of the 250% tariff hike in electricity; stoppage of plans to the hijack the duties of the Ministry of Labour and Employment; ending of policies that engender hunger and insecurity; and ending of government’s culture of terror, fear and lying.
Ajaero stressed that Nigerian workers were guided by their belief in Nigeria and the need to secure and sustain its sovereignty, integrity and welfare of the people.
He added that in the coming days, the appropriate organs of the NLC would be convening a meeting to take appropriate decisions which will be made public.
