The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), has reiterated its readiness to embark on a nationwide industrial action should the government at any time declare an increment in electricity tariff without fulfilling the terms of the agreements it reached with labour.
The NLC also stated that it need not give the government another notice for industrial action as its August 30, 2021 notice on the matter was explicit.
According to a press release issued and signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, and made available to newsmen, the mother labour union warned that some speculations and rumours in the media that Federal Government plans to further increase electricity tariff in the country is worrisome and should not be a sort of strategy by the government to take such action that would inflict more hardship on Nigerians.
The statement further reads: “Congress wishes to reiterate that one of the agreements with the Federal Government on September 28, 2020, includes freezing further increases in electricity tariff until the FGN-Labour Committee on Electricity Tariff concludes its work and its report is submitted and adopted by the principals in the broad FG-Labour platform, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Presidents of NLC and TUC, respectively.
“This pact to freeze electricity tariff increase entered into by the principals last year September remains sacrosanct to Congress and would not admit flouting it by any form of subterfuge.
“Despite the suppositions and fabrications, possible prevarications, Congress is inclined to dismiss the probable increase in electricity tariff as a mere conjecture. We would, however, be mindful to carefully track the various rumours, decoys and perhaps, arrant mischief concerning the management of electricity tariff”.
“Accordingly, Congress would indeed keep a monitoring tab on the work of the committee. Congress urges the committee to hasten its work and present a report to the principals in the shortest time.
“Congress reaffirms its notice to the Federal Government issued on August 30, 2021, that; “should the government make true the swirling speculations by approving an increase in electricity tariff, Organised Labour would be left with no option than to deploy the industrial mechanisms granted in our laws for the defence of workers’ rights”, it stated.
