Subsidy removal: NLC threatens strike, gives FG seven-day ultimatum

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to reverse all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” policies.

The policies, the union said, include the recent hike in the price of petrol, increase in public school fees, among others.

Last week, oil marketers in Nigeria increased the pump price of petrol at retail outlets to N617 per litre in Abuja and N565 per litre in Lagos.

In a communique released at the end of its central working committee (CWC) meeting on Tuesday, the union threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, August 2, 2023, if the federal government fails to meet its demands.

The communique was jointly signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president l, and Emmanuel Ugboaja, the union’s general secretary.

The NLC said the federal government has shown enormous disdain and contempt for the Nigerian people and have declared a war of attrition on citizens.

The union said since President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “subsidy is gone forever”, Nigerians have been suffering.

“CWC-in-session noted unfortunately that the federal government has continued to treat Nigerians as slaves and a conquered people which it treats with impunity without any concern on the consequences,” the communique reads.

“That the Federal Government has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and new hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre.

“That the NNPCL (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited), has turned itself into the forces of demand and supply and fixes the price of Petroleum products while mouthing deregulation.

“That Government’s conduct suggests it does not intend to commit itself to the MoU it signed with NLC and TUC (Trade Union Congress).

The NLC demanded “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the federal government including the recent hike in PMS price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers and increase in VAT.”

Others include the immediate inauguration of the presidential steering committee as agreed in earlier dialogues.

The union gave “the federal government a seven-day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and to embark on a nation-wide action beginning Wednesday the 2nd of August, 2023 to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti- workers policies”.

The NLC also declared that it would lead and organise mass protest rallies across the nation to demonstrate outrage against the inhuman actions and policies of the government.