THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it feels betrayed by the federal government over the “clandestine increases” in the pump price of petrol.
The labour union in a statement by its President Joe Ajaero, on Tuesday evening, revealed that organised labour agreed to a N70,000 minimum wage in July based on the government’s assurance that fuel prices would remain unchanged.
The union said it accepted the amount despite recognising the wage was inadequate.
“We recall vividly when President Tinubu gave us the devil’s alternative to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) or N70,000 (at old PMS rates); we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
“But here we are, barely one month after and with the government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain,” Ajaero stated.
The union urged the government to reverse the pump price of petrol across the country and retract the 250 per cent tariff hike in electricity.
According to the NLC president, the labour congress will meet to make appropriate decisions in reaction to the stance of the federal government.
He reiterated that the NLC stand resolute with the people and will neither be distracted nor intimidated by the government or its security agencies.
He insisted that the government cannot criminalise protests or basic rights in the domain of the citizenry.
“Accordingly, we demand the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country, the release of all those incarcerated or being prosecuted on the assumption of having participated in the recent protests; halt the indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens on trumped-up charges; reversal of the 250 per cent tariff hike in electricity; put a stop to the hijack of the duties of the ministry of labour and employment; end policies that engender hunger and insecurity; and halt government’s culture of terror, fear, and lying.”
The ICIR reported on Thursday, August 29 that the minister of state for petroleum resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited(NNPCL) must sell petrol above the landing cost – currently at N1,117 per litre – to curb the smuggling of the products to neighbouring countries.
According to Lokpobiri, unless the NNPC L imports and sells petrol above the landing cost, smugglers would continue to move petroleum products to neighbouring countries.
Lokpobiri said that fuel smuggling from Nigeria to neighbouring countries was an issue that could not be entirely eradicated.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 3, there were unconfirmed reports that NNPC- L had increased the price of petrol across its retail outlets.
A reporter with the ICIR
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