The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reiterated its threat to embark on nationwide strike over plans to further increase the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as fuel.
The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, said this in a communiqué jointly signed by Mr Ismail Bello, Acting General Secretary of NLC on Thursday in Abuja.
The communiqué was issued at the end of a virtual meeting of the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) held on May 25. Wabba said the NEC-in-session also reviewed the proposal by the Nigerians Governors Forum for a three hundred per cent increase in the price of petrol.
He said NEC resolved that the proposal was the height of provocation, arbitrariness, detachment and insensitivity to the current economic realities in the country.
He said that it also indicated lack of se sensitivity to the extreme hardship that Nigerians especially workers are going through.
He said NEC reiterated that it still stands solidly by its decision taken at its meeting which took place on Feb. 17 to reject further increases in the price of refined petroleum products particularly the PMS.
“The NEC also re-echoed its decision that the only sustainable way out of the crisis of fuel importation and associated dislocations in the downstream petroleum sub sector is for government to rehabilitate all four public refineries in Nigeria and build new ones.
“The NEC resolved that any decision to increase by even one cent the price of refined petroleum products especially PMS will attract an immediate withdrawal of services by Nigerian workers all over the country without any further notice.
“The NEC resolved to write officially to the Federal Government conveying the plight of Nigerian workers, the concerns of Congress and the resolutions of the NEC on the matter of fresh proposals for an increase in the pump price of fuel,” he said.
The NLC President also said that NEC resolved to continue to keep its doors open for dialogue and amicable resolution of the industrial crisis occasioned by the mass sack of workers by the Kaduna State Government.
He added that NEC resolved that in case the Kaduna State Government continues to pursue the path of war, threat and punitive actions against workers and their interests.
“That NEC had given the National Administrative Council (NAC) the power to re-activate the suspended industrial action in Kaduna State and also call for the withdrawal of services of all workers in Nigeria without any further notice,” he said.
Wabba, however, noted that NEC called on the National Assembly to retain Labour administration, National Minimum Wage, Pension and Industrial Relations in the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution.
He added that NEC directed the full mobilisation of workers at all the Zonal Public Hearings to lend weight to the demands and aspirations of Nigerian workers in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
