The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has strongly warned that any unilateral decision of the government that increases the price of fuel will be resisted by trade unions.
Reacting to a news report published in Tribune Online on Wednesday 24 November, 2021, and credited to the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying that premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol will sell at the price of N340 in the country in 2022, TUC General Secretary, Comrade Musa Lawal, expressed displeasure that government is making such statement when there is an ongoing tripartite committee working on the issue.
“First, it is a big surprise that the government is thinking of removing fuel subsidy when there is a tripartite committee of labour and employers ongoing on the issue and its work has not been concluded. There are conditions precedent that has been discussed which have not been met by the government. Any unilateral removal of subsidy without meeting labour demand will be met with resistance.
“The word “cushion effect” has become moribund. The money they said they will save when they stop fuel subsidy and give to poor Nigerians, will the money get to the target audience. This could well be another money siphoning device. Our position is that government should provide necessary infrastructure before the removal of subsidy, such as modular refineries.”
The TUC General Secretary, further said that Trade Unions will definitely meet on the matter and take a decisive decision.
On his part, Comrade Joe Ajaero, a Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said advised government to do its mathematics very well before making policy statements.
He wondered how the government intends to remove fuel subsidy to save money while at the same time planning to pay money that is much more than it will presumably save from fuel subsidy removal to poor Nigerians.
Ajaero further said that labour will have to meet, discuss the issue and come out with its position since the government seems to have truncated an ongoing negotiation on the matter by making such a statement through NNPC GMD.
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