Labour Resists Fuel Increase, Urges Goverment to Revert to Old Prize
LAGOS MAY 12TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Nigerian Labour Congress has resisted the increase in the prices of petroleum products as a result of the deregulation of the downstream sector.
It called on the Federal Government to revert to N86 and N86.50 or face the ire of the labour movement and its civil society allies.
The NLC had also put its councils and affiliate unions on notice for immediate mobilisation to resist the increase.
The General Secretary, NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said in a statement that the increase was unilaterally done and only showed the level of insensitivity and impunity of the government.
He said that the Congress had scheduled an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee for Friday.
The NLC said in the statement, “The unilateral increase in the price of petrol by the government represents the height of insensitivity and impunity, and shall be resisted by the Nigeria Labour Congress and its civil society allies.
“With the imposition on the citizenry of the criminal and unjustifiable electricity tariff, and resultant darkness and other economic challenges brought on by the devaluation of the naira and spiralling inflation, the least one had expected at this point in time was another policy measure that would further make life more miserable for the ordinary Nigerian.
“The latest increase is the most audacious and cruel in the history of petroleum product price increase as it represents not only about 80 per cent increase, but is tied to the black market exchange rate.”
However, the President of the TUC, Mr. Bala Kaigama, said that the congress could only speak on the increase after a meeting of its organs.