The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) this evening rose from an emergency national executive council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, with an ultimatum to the Federal Government to invite labour for discussion over the fuel price hike or faced mass action.
A three point communique issued at the meeting and signed by Bobboi Kagaima, TUC president, which was made available to BusinessDay, reads:
“NEC-in-session rejected in its entirety the astronomical increase in the price of petrol from N86.50 per litre to N145 per litre and demanded that the government should revert to the old price regime with immediate effect.
The NEC in session gave the federal government up till Wednesday, May 18, 2016 to invite the leadership of labour for discussion aimed at determining the appropriate way forward.
NEC in-session also directed the leadership of the TUC to interface with the NLC and the civil society allies to work out action plans that would be put in place to protest the insensitive fuel price hike should the Government fail to meet the Wednesday, May 18, 2016 deadline.
Meanwhile, the joint NEC of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association(PENGASSAN) and Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) which met in Delta State on Friday, welcomed the price deregulation, saying there are benefits in the immediate and near future.
It however, strongly demanded that the Federal Government’s engagement with the stakeholders to work out a clear direction on how to reinvest the gains into the economy to cushion the effect of the price.
“NEC-in-session after an exhaustive deliberation of all these resultant effects, resolves that, there is an urgent need for a paradigm shift and a new direction in the management of new investment and income in the oil and gas industry, but with critical proviso, among which include:
“Government must ensure optimal performance of the existing refineries and also put in place machinery for the construction of new refineries in the country to ensure adequate production for domestic consumption and possibly export”.
It also demanded the immediate commencement of negotiation of minimum wage for workers across all cadres.
It also called for the engagement of critical stakeholders for the Federal government to provide a road map with timelines of the infrastructures to intend to embark upon with the proceeds from this price modulation to cushion the harsh effects of the new direction.
Immediate reconstitution of the board of PPPRA and PEF for the management of the new price regime.
The oil workers also demanded the reconstitution and the re-strengthening of relevant agencies such as Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), DPR and the Nigeria Customs and Excise Department to prevent the abuse of the new framework of PMS supply and distributions.
