NLC to FG: Address cash, fuel crisis, electricity tariff hike or expect nation-wide strike

By: Christian Appolos | Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on a nation-wide industrial strike if the triad challenge of cash crunch, fuel scarcity and increasing electricity tariff are not immediately addressed.

In a communiqué released by NLC at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Abuja, the congress said the challenges were among the issues that raised the most concerns.

The communiqué, jointly signed by the National President of the congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero and General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja, charged the Federal Government to take immediate action to cushion the economic and social hardship of the challenge of cash crunch, fuel scarcity and high cost of electricity tariff on Nigerians.

“CWC said poor implementation of the naira redesign policy has caused considerable pain and hardship to the people. Accordingly, CWC resolved to give the government seven working days beginning from Tuesday, March 14 to make naira notes available to the people or Congress would be compelled to direct its members to withdraw their services.

“Similarly, the  CWC-in-session, after reviewing the fuel supply situation in the country  and the attendant arbitrary costs at filling stations, expressed dismay at the nonchalance of NNPC and government. It accordingly resolved to ask the NNPC/ FGN to normalise the fuel supply situation.

“The CWC expressed its outrage at the surreptitious increase in electricity tariff without notice and without improvement in quality of service. CWC resolved that henceforth any surreptitious increase would be met with appropriate response,” the communiqué read in part.

The NLC also charged the Abia and Imo State governments on payment of workers’ salaries/allowances and pension.

“There were national protest actions in Abia and Imo States over non-payment of salaries/allowances and pensions for several months, non-remittance of check-off dues and other anti-union activities. Reviewing the performance of the actions, it was noted that the Abia State government has signed an agreement with Congress pending full implementation of the agreement.

“In Imo, however, the action is ongoing as more unions are poised to fold in as the issues are multi-sectoral and include the following: refusal to implement previous agreements reached between the state government and trade unions since 2021; 20 months salary arrears owed to some workers stigmatised as ghost workers and declaration of 11,000 workers in the state as ghost workers and diversion of their salaries even when they were regularly at work.

“Others are vandalisation of Congress office and equipment by hoodlums; implementation of discriminatory pay and institutionalisation of apartheid in monthly payments; refusal to pay eight years arrears of gratuities owed retirees; non-appropriate implementation of the national minimum wage law; harassment, intimidation and  brutalisation of trade union leaders in the state; intimidation of workers in the state and continuous disregard for Collective Bargaining and Social Dialogue,” the labour union said.

It would be recalled that Comrade Ajaero, in his acceptance speech after his election as NLC National President, pledged that NLC under his leadership will not pay lip service to issues concerning electricity tariff increase and fuel subsidy removal.