Ogona Anita
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to revert to the old pump prices of premium motor spirit otherwise known as petrol or face industrial action.
The NLC gave the NNPCL till Wednesday to return to the old price of N194 per litre or it would direct its members to withdraw their services nationwide. President of NLC, Joe Ajaero said this at the end of meetings with organs of the Congress in Abuja on Friday.
The NNPCL on Wednesday jerked up the pump prices of PMS by over 200 per cent bringing the price of fuel to between N488 and N557 per litre.
This decision followed a pronouncement made by President Bola Tinubu that subsidy has gone in his inauguration on Monday.
The pronouncement has however generated debates, with Labour insisting on the old pump price. A meeting with the federal government team and organised labour on Wednesday ended in a deadlock. Both parties are however expected to resume negotiations on Sunday.
However, Ajaero has directed affiliates of the NLC to commence mobilization immediately ahead of the planned nationwide protest.
He said: “The NLC decided that if by Wednesday next week the NNPCL, a private limited liability company, that illegally announced a price regime in the oil sector, refuses to announce revert itself for negotiation to….continue, that the NLC and all its affiliates, will withdraw their services and commence protests nationwide until this is complied with. “The NNPCL doesn’t have the monopoly to act illegally even as a private company. The NLC NEC therefore directed all state councils and all industrial unions to commence mobilization from this moment to make sure….that this action is enforced. The action has commenced at this moment He also called for a probe of the subsidy regime.
The labour leader urged the NNPCL ensure a proper account of the amount of petroleum products Nigerians consume daily.
He accused the NNPCL of refusing to disclosed beneficiaries of subsidy and landing cost of petroleum products. He said: “The Nigeria Labour Congress is calling for a thorough probe in the process of subsidy to know those involved and the amount involved. Investigate it properly before it is swept under the carpet.
“The current attempt to sweep the fraudulent practices in the subsidy regime should not be tolerated by all well-meaning Nigerians.”
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