The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on Nigerians, especially workers to gear up for total opposition against any hike in the pump prices of petrol and electricity tariff.
The Union also directed its workers in Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, Kogi, Cross Rivers, Abia and Imo states to commence indefinite strikes over the new national minimum wage.
The states according to the NLC are yet to implement the N30,000 minimum wage that took effect on April 18, 2019.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba, who gave the admonition on Saturday in a New Year message to workers said the union made its position known to the government in very clear terms that Nigerians have suffered enough and will not endure more punishment by way of further petrol and electricity price increases.
Wabba lamented the deceit and political game played by government in handling the issue of fuel subsidy, adding that perennial increase by government of the pump price of petrol is actually a transfer of government failure and inability to effectively govern to the poor masses of our country.
“We are talking of the failure of government to manage Nigeria’s four oil refineries and inability to build new ones more than thirty years after the last petrochemical refinery in Port Harcourt was commissioned; the failure to rein in smuggling; and the failure to determine empirically the quantity of petrol consumed in Nigeria.
The shame takes a gory dimension with the fact that Nigeria is the only OPEC country that cannot refine her own crude oil.
The NLC President further said the organized Labour during its last meeting with government, reached a conclusion that it must take immediate action to revamp all Nigeria’s refineries, in which a technical committee was set up to monitor the progress.
He further condemned the proposed decision of government to pay transport allowances to citizens, calling it a total robbery.
“We have also already described the idea of paying transport allowances as robbing ourselves to pay ourselves as the amount being bandied for such transport subsidy clearly outstrips the amount that is currently expended on the so-called petrol subsidy.
While reacting to the non-implementation of the minimum wage, Wabba said, “While most of the states in the North West geopolitical zone have started implementing the new national minimum wage, there is an exception in the case of Zamfara State which has refused to pay the national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment to workers in the state. In the North East, the exception is Taraba State which is yet to fully implement the new national minimum wage. In the North Central, there are still challenges of full implementation in Benue and Kogi States.
“In the South West, most of the states are already in compliance. In the South South, the weak link is Cross River State which has spurned all negotiation agreements and entreaties to pay workers in the state the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment. In the South East, the Imo and Abia State Governments remain thorns in the flesh of workers.
Apart from refusing to fully implement the national minimum wage and consequential salary increase, the State governments have also been promoting clandestine and rogue labour leaders unknown to the labour movement.
“In line with the directives of the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, we have asked our state councils to commence industrial actions against state government that are yet to implement the new national minimum wage and pension. It is disheartening that amidst the current economic crunch prevalent in the country, some State Governors still need persuasion to pay workers the national minimum wage.”
Recall that the Federal government had in November 2021 informed Nigerians to prepare for the removal of fuel subsidy, an action capable of increasing pump price of petroleum by almost 100%.
