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NLC plans warning strike over parlous state of economy

Published

8 years ago

April 6, 2016

NLC plans warning strike over parlous state of economy

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has hinted of plans to carry out a one day strike action over the parlous state of the economy, especially the protracted fuel crisis and the increase in electricity tariff.

In an address presented by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, to the opening session of the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the congress held at the Labour House, Abuja on Wednesday, he said the response to the prevailing economic situation by all tiers of government in the country has been a source of worry for many Nigerians, especially Nigerian workers.

this is even as NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, both raised the alarm over ongoing massive retrenchment of workers in every sector of the economy due to unfavourable business environment among others.

According to Wabba, Nigerians are feeling the heat and harsh realities of the economic crisis in the country, whose immediate cause is the drastic fall in the price of crude oil, which is the primary source of our nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

The TUC, in a statement in Lagos on Wednesday, through its chairman and acting secretary, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Simeso Amachree said: “We are saddled with the responsibility of functioning as change agents and watchdogs of both government and private business, and ensuring better welfare for workers. Of late, our desk has been inundated with industrial issues, redundancy complaints, anti-labour practices, casualisation of workers, mass sack of workers, etc. All these are caused because of unfriendly business environment”.

On his part, the NLC president decried the unjustifiable 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff, saying that the increase was “illegal, unfair, unjustifiable and a further exploitation of the already exploited Nigerians.”

He pointed out that the due process in the extant laws for such an increment was not followed in consonance with Section 76 of the Power Sector Reform Act, 2005.

Besides, Comrade Wabba stated that there has not been significant improvement in service delivery coupled with the fact that most consumers are not metered in accordance with the signed Privatization Memorandum (MoU) of November 21, 2013 which stipulates that within 18 months gestation period, all consumers are to be metered.

On the issue of fuel scarcity, he pointed out that when the first incident occurred under this government, “we put it to sabotage and urged the government to deal decisively with the saboteurs but with an eye to enhanced local production as an enduring solution. When the second incident happened, we similarly reasoned the same way.

“However, with the latest incident of prolonged scarcity and confession by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources that scarcity will persist till May as he is not a magician, regular scarcity might as well be a familiar feature, and we would do well to brace ourselves for long spells, except government does the needful.”

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