Abuja, May 31, 2023 -The Federal Government is meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) today, Wednesday, on the proposed petrol subsidy removal.
Joe Ajaero, the National President of NLC, said this on Wednesday morning.
The development arose out of the rejection of the proposed plan to remove petrol subsidy announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday.
The NLC rejected government’s plan on petrol price deregulation in a statement on Tuesday signed by Ajaero.
It reads in parts: “On our part, we are staunchly opposed to this decision and are demanding an immediate withdrawal of this policy.”
On its part, the Trade Union Congress 9 TUC) has also condemned Federal Government’s plan to remove petrol subsidy.
In a statement on Monday, signed by Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, President and Secretary-General, respectively, the union advised the president to reconsider the issue.
“We dare say that this is a very delicate issue that touches on the lives, if not very survival of, particularly the working people, hence ought to have been treated with the utmost caution.
“Also, it should have been preceded by robust dialogue and consultation with representatives of the working people including professionals, market people, students and the poor masses.
“Accordingly, we hereby demand that President Tinubu should tarry a while, to give room for robust dialogue, consultation and stakeholders engagement, just as he opined in his speech, until all issues and questions – and there is a host of them – to ensure that they are amicably considered and resolved.
“Nigerian workers and indeed masses must not be made to suffer the inefficiency of successive governments,” the union said.
It expressed concern over the president’s failure to reveal his plans on how to tackle and address the issue of poor and unchecked deterioration in industrial relations, particularly in the education, health and judiciary sectors.
TUC said that the planned removal of subsidy had often resulted in a prolonged strike and industrial actions with attendant adverse effects on society and the economy. (GBN)
