The Nigeria Labour Congress has criticised the latest hike in fuel price and described the increase as traumatic, nightmarish and an act of betrayal.
The NLC expressed sadness and disappointment that barely a month after President Bola Tinubu promised that fuel pump price will not be increased if labour accepted N70,000 for minimum wage, the reverse is now the case.
Contained in a swift reaction to the news of the new fuel pump price increase signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the statement noted that the Congress’s appropriate organ will meet to decide the next line of action workers will take against the new hike.
The statement reads: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS.
“One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of pms would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
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“But here we are, barely one month after and with the government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain.
“It is both traumatic and nightmarish.
“Yet, when we told the government that its approach to resolving the fuel subsidy contradictions was patently faulty and would not last, its front row cheerleaders sneered at us, saying we did not understand basic economics
“But if truth be told, this act of betrayal is consistent with the character of this government. We recall the assurances we were given by the leadership of the National Assembly on the 250% tariff hike, that it had been dealt with and there was no need to openly engage the Minister of Power who was at that meeting.
“Instead of the promised reversal, the rate has since been jerked up further putting more Nigerians and businesses in jeopardy.
“The combined effects of government’s ferocious right -wing market policies brought Nigerians and Nigeria to their all-time low and led to the End-Hunger/End Bad Governance protests.”
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