October 11, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it will meet next week to discuss the recent hike in petrol pump prices.
THEWILL reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had, on Wednesday, hiked petrol pump prices from N897 per litre to N1,030 in Abuja; from N855 to N998 in Lagos; N1, 070 in North-East; N1,025 in other South-West States; N1,045 in South-East and N1,075 in South-South.
Speaking on Friday when he was featured on Arise News, NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the hike in petrol price is a clear betrayal by President Bola Tinubu on the terms of the agreement for the national minimum wage.
According to Ajaero, during the meeting on the new Minimum wage with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the organised labour turned down the offer of an increase in petrol pump price to accept N70,000 as the new minimum wage.
His words: “I have to narrate the scenario to you, and then we now choose the appropriate word, whether betrayed, deceived or whatever. While we were discussing it because we stalemated at 62,000 Naira, even the states were saying they wouldn’t pay, so there was a stalemate that took us to Mr. President.
“And we insisted on 250 (Thousand Naira) and Mr President at the meeting, turned to me and said, Ajaero, you are the person holding my hand from increasing further.
“I said increase what? He said, since I said the subsidy was gone, we should have gotten the appropriate price. We should have increased. I want to sponsor you people, labour, to travel to these West African countries and know how much they are paying.
“Some are paying 2,000 (Naira), 1,800 (Naira), 1700 (Naira). As he announced it, we declined immediately that we were not going to take that sponsorship.
“He said, okay, I will go to my office for one hour. You guys decide if you agree for me to increase, I will pay you 250 (Thousand Naira), if not, you take this 62 (Thousand Naira). He stood up and we said, Mr President, no, we can’t sit down here to decide in your office, we will take about one week to go back and discuss and get back to you, which was exactly what happened, ask anybody, and we adjourned for one week.
“He said, oh, I’m supposed to travel, but because of you, I will cancel my trip until after one week, and when we, reconvened, we were clear to Mr President that we didn’t have any mandate to come here to discuss a price of a petroleum product or increase, we’re only here to discuss minimum wage and minimum wage alone we’re going to discuss. And we agreed on the basis that we accepted N70,000.”
Ajaero said the organs of the NLC will meet next week to discuss the new pump price increase, adding that no single person in the labour movement can take a decision without the involvement of all the organs.
“No NLC President will come out and say, we are going to strike tomorrow or next tomorrow without the organ’s meeting. In instances, either the CWC (Central Working Committee) or the NEC (National Executive Council), so we are following that process”, he said.
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