Labour Suspends Planned Strike As FG Reverses Electricity Tariff Hike
It is clear that we cannot afford fuel subsidy anymore. Government revenues are shrinking, while the ordinary people deserve infrastructure which can’t be available without the resources. Government today is convinced that we need to shift to a new reality.This reality has been highly unfavourable to all Nigerians, who have expressed their utmost displeasure.
After years of going back and forth, the decision makers, including the federal government, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and indeed the Distribution Companies (Discos) finally hiked the unit price of electricity for a section of the country’s customers.
The NLC decided to take a strike action by Monday 28th of September 2020. But by the dawn of the 28th the strike action was suspended.
Punch reports, The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have suspended the strike scheduled to commence today (Monday).
This followed an agreement reached with the Federal Government at a meeting which started at 8.30pm on Sunday and ended at 2:50am this morning.
After exhaustive deliberations on the issues raised by the labour centres, the meeting agreed to suspend the application of the cost-reflective electricity tariff adjustments for two weeks.
Quadri Olaleye, confirmed in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday morning.
He said, “Definitely correct. We just left a press conference. We signed a document to suspend the action for two weeks for the government to implement those things that we agreed in the agreement. So, we are suspended for two weeks.
“We don’t need a notice again to reconvene if there is a need to do that.”
The parties agreed to set up a technical committee comprising Ministries, Departments, Agencies, NLC and TUC.
It also noted that the FG has fashioned out palliatives that would ameliorate the sufferings that Nigerian workers may experience as a result of the hike in cost electricity tariffs and the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
The palliatives will be in the areas of transport, power, housing, agriculture and humanitarian support.
The meeting also resolved that the 40 per cent stake of government in the DISCO and the stake of workers should be reflected in the composition of the DISCO’s boards.
It agreed that “an all-inclusive and independent review of the power sector operations as provided in the privatization MoU to be undertaken before the end of the year 2020, with labour represented.
To cushion the impacts of the downstream sector deregulation and tariffs adjustment in the power sector, the FG agreed to announce in two weeks a specific amount to be accessed by workers with subsequent provision for 240,000 workers under the auspices of NLC and TUC for participation in agricultural ventures through the Central Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The meeting further resolved that the FG will facilitate the removal of tax on minimum wage as a way of cushioning the impacts of the policy on the lowest vulnerable.
The government would also make available to organize 133 CNG/LPG-driven mass transit buses immediately and provide to the major cities across the country on a scale up basis thereafter, to all states and local governments before December 2021.
Source: https://punchng.com/breaking-labour-suspends-planned-strike-as-fg-reverses-electricity-tariff-hike/
