Labour demands halt to frequent petrol price increase, other anti-people policies

Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterparts, have demanded an end to the recurring increases in the price of petrol to allow Nigerians to breathe.

The two labour centres also asked the government to jettison and overhaul all policies that had led to the current economic crisis inflicting unprecedented hunger, suffering and outrageous inequality across the country.

They equally asked the Federal Government to, without further delay, implement practical multidimensional relief measures to lessen the hardship and suffering of Nigerians.

These were some of the decisions reached at a joint National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of leaders of NLC and TUC in Abuja.

Recall that leaders of both labour centres, after a meeting with the Federal Government last week, met to brief NEC members on the outcome of the meeting with the government and also review the socioeconomic situation in the country.

Sources at the meeting told Vanguard that members of the joint NEC holistically appraised the deteriorating socio-economic conditions confronting workers and the masses, especially in the wake of the recurring hikes in the price of petrol and their direct impact on the yet-to-be-implemented 2024 national minimum wage.

According to sources at the NEC meeting, members noted “the excruciating hardship, suffering and hunger inflicted on the citizens, especially fixed-income earners, following unending increases in the pump price of petrol by the federal government.

“We received reports across the country about the growing frustration, anger and hopelessness nationwide, due to the economic policies that have been harming and imposing untold hunger, pain, suffering and hardship on the masses.

“Members of NEC lamented that these anti-people policies were forced on the government by the International Monetary Fund, IMF and World Bank and that the Federal Government has accepted them not minding their impact on the country’s economic sovereignty and the well-being of the citizens.

“We also deliberated on the erosion of the purchasing power of the N70,000 new national minimum wage because of rising inflationary trends as a result of government’s policies.

“After the appraisal and deliberations, members among others, resolved and demanded a total reversal and review of all government policies that have inflicted the current economic predicament as seen in excruciating hunger, suffering, hardship, poverty and widespread inequality.”

“We believe the government must pay frontal attention to pro-people policies focusing on wealth redistribution, employment generation, and improving the quality of life for all Nigerian citizens and not just the privileged few.

“On the issue of pump price, the meeting called for an immediate end to the unending increases in the price of petrol that have taken place since the new national minimum wage was passed into law. NEC members think that these increases run contrary to the agreement reached with President Bola Tinubu during the minimum wage negotiations with the government.

“We also called for an immediate review of wages and demanded that a hardship allowance be put in place for all workers nationwide to lessen the suffering and provide urgent financial relief to workers. We think that this must be done, alongside the provision of affordable housing and tax relief for workers

“Similarly, we demanded that the government immediately implement multidimensional relief measures to soften the hardship, hunger, and suffering of the people of Nigeria. Members of NEC noted that this includes jettisoning policies that favour the rich, at the expense of the masses, providing housing for those in need, offering tax relief for small-scale artisans, and removing excessive levies that further burden their incomes.

“We equally discussed the issue of fixing public refineries and the failure of government to keep up with the promises made on the refineries, especially the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries. ‘’We believe that private interests have been sabotaging and continued to hamper these national assets for their selfish benefit. We insist that the refineries must resume operations to stop the stranglehold of the cartels controlling the energy sector.

“We also demanded an immediate review of the hike in electricity tariff because of their devastating effects on the socioeconomic life of the people as well as businesses. We believe these increases are unjust and wicked.”