NLC Absent as FG, TUC Agree on Wage Increase to Cushion Effects of Subsidy Removal

·       Trade union centre presents list of demands to govt

·       FG: demands not impracticable, to set up tripartite committee

·       Parties to reconvene tomorrow to finalise discussion 

·       NNPC lacks power to fix petrol price, NLC insists

·       Maintains there’s appropriation for subsidy till end of June

·       Declares no division among its members ahead of strike

·       Electricity, judiciary workers mobilise for planned nationwide strike

·       PDP urges Tinubu to engage labour, blames FG for lack of adequate consultation

·       Apologise to Jonathan, Okonjo-Iweala, Obi, Atedo Peterside tells Tinubu, others

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja, Raheem Akingbolu and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was absent yesterday at the reconvened meeting between the federal government and representatives of the organised labour centre at the State House, Abuja.

The first meeting held last Wednesday to discuss the contentious issue of withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the federal government was attended by representatives of both NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC). But at the reconvened meeting yesterday, representatives of NLC did not turn up, just as TUC presented its demands to government, with minimum wage review topping the list.

President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, while speaking in an interview on ARISE News Channel, yesterday, accused the federal government of foul play, insincerity and insensitivity on the subsidy matter. NLC insisted that the federal government lied in its declaration that there was no appropriation for subsidy beyond May 2023.

The NLC also stated that all its branches and affiliates across the country were united in the struggle to reverse the unilateral increase in pump price of petrol.

However, following the directive by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) to its members to withdraw their services nationwide from Wednesday, and join the planned strike called by NLC, some industry analysts warned workers against downing tools, saying it portends national security risk. They stressed that the law clearly stated that it was an offence for anyone or group to prevent or obstructs the transmission of electricity through any electricity or main transmission line.

Similarly, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), in a letter dated June3, 2023, started mobilising all its chapters and members for the nationwide action and withdrawal of service from Wednesday.

“This followed a decision of the NEC of the NLC at her meeting on June 2, 2023, over the increase in the pump price of PMS by the federal government,” the letter signed by JUSUN General Secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, read.

“All zonal presidents are to coordinate their zones by ensuring that branch and chapter chairmen mobilise their members for total compliance,” the letter added.

Weighing in on the subsidy matter, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, called on the federal government to engage the organised labour to find solution to the raging dispute.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and former leader of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, yesterday, appealed to the national leadership of NLC not to embark on its proposed nationwide strike, saying Tinubu means well for the country.

But founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc. and Anap Foundation, Atedo Peterside, yesterday, called on Tinubu and others in the present government, who had in 2012 opposed the removal of fuel subsidy by the administration of then President Goodluck Jonathan, to tender an unreserved apology to the former president as well as Nigerians.

In a tweet on his handle, Atedo pointed out that following the decision of Tinubu to end the fuel subsidy regime, the president and some members of his party, who vehemently protested against subsidy removal by Jonathan, ought to apologise to Jonathan, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Peter Obi, and other members of the 2012 Economic Team.

Peterside wrote, “The petrol subsidy removal is complicated by the fact some liars who held sway in 2012 are now singing a different tune in 2023. They should apologise to @GEJonathan @PeterObi @NOIweala & others in the 2012 Economic Team and beg Nigerians for forgiveness so we can move forward.”

NNPC had last week adjusted the pump price of petrol by nearly 200 per cent, from N195 per litre to between N488 and N557 nationwide. The development followed the announcement by Tinubu in his inaugural speech on Monday that fuel subsidy was “gone.”

Tinubu promised to re-channel the expected savings to education, health and other sectors. 

But the development did not go down well with NLC, which has announced plan to commence a nationwide strike from Wednesday.

NLC Absent as FG, TUC Agree on Wage Increase to Cushion Effect of Fuel Subsidy Removal

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting between the TUC leaders and federal government’s representatives, held at the conference room of the Chief of Staff’s office, both sides disclosed that negotiations would continue from tomorrow, when the federal government would be taking labour’s demands to President Bola Tinubu. The meeting lasted about two and a half hours.

The government was expected to come with answers to labour’s demands.

Apart from the demand for a review of the minimum wage, TUC demanded a tax break for Nigerian workers. It said it would leave the remaining items on the list undisclosed until the government representatives must have relayed the list to the president and come back with positions.

Spokesman of the government’s side, Mr. Dele Alake, expressed satisfaction with the proceedings. Alake hinted that the demands by TUC were not impracticable. But he noted that the president must be allowed time to consider them.

According to Alake, government would look into the issue of minimum wage, since the removal of subsidy has the immediate consequence of reducing the purchasing power of the people. He added that government would be putting a tripartite committee together to study all dynamics relating to the subsidy.

Alake said, “Well, as you all know, we had this reconvened meeting today as we promised you few days ago when we had the initial meeting with the labour movement. We said we were going to reconvene today to keep the engagement on, in order to diffuse the tension in the land as a result of the withdrawal of subsidy, which is a reality. Now, we are very happy to announce to Nigerians that this engagement has been very productive.

“The TUC that attended today’s meeting presented a list of demands and those demands we have studied and we are going to present to Mr. President for his consideration. But those demands, we can announce to Nigerians that a lot of the items on the list are not impracticable.

“What we need to do is to study the numbers very well, then we have asked the TUC to also give us a leeway to consult very exhaustively and reconvene on Tuesday to actually look at the numbers’ viability, practicability of all the items that have been presented to us. 

“Now, most important and top priority on the list, which the government is also looking at very seriously and the president has announced before, is the issue of the minimum wage, which the labour movement has demanded is the consequential impact of this removal of subsidy. 

“So, government is to look at that and Mr. President is most likely going to constitute a tripartite committee that is a committee of federal government, including the states, and then the organised labour and the private sector. 

“Now, this is a tripartite arrangement, it will be a committee that will study all the dynamics of a wage increase in percentages, the numbers and the categories that will be affected. So by Tuesday, when we come back to reconvene to meet with the TUC again, we should have very concrete items to present to the world. But the most important thing for today is that we are making appreciable progress with labour.”

Asked what the TUC demands were, Alake said, “It is a list, but we are not going to be listing all of them now. The most important is the minimum wage, that is increase of minimum wage. Because, when this thing is removed, the argument of labour is that there is an immediate impact on the workers, on the purchasing power because price of fuel has gone up. 

“So, that will necessarily reduce the purchasing power of the average worker. The next thing of immediate consequence is to increase the purchasing power of the worker. That, to me and to all of us on this side, is the top most priority on the list. There are other things, like the tax holidays, which some categories of workers will be beneficiaries. But the most important is the minimum wage.”

On whether the team was also negotiating with NLC, Alake said, “No, we are not, but we are making efforts to reach the NLC. We all agreed that we are going to meet here, but again, in this game there are dynamics. Sometimes, they could be meeting with their own executives and not able to meet with us, or they could want to postpone or they have not actually articulated their list of demands as the TUC.

“But we cannot second guess why they are not here. But efforts are being made to reach them, we are not isolating them at all.”

Asked if the meeting discussed the claim that NLC was working for the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the just concluded elections, Peter Obi, Alake declared, “No, not at all. It has no relevance to the discussion on the concrete terms of the welfare of the workers. Our discussion was majorly on the welfare of workers, how to cushion the impact of this subsidy removal on workers that’s all. Not on any political partisanship.”

Speaking to reporters, also, President of TUC, Festus Osifo, said his team attended the meeting as directed by the union’s National Executive Council (NEC). Osifo said his team had submitted their list of demands to the government and would be expecting a feedback by next Tuesday.

Asked if his union was satisfied with the discussion so far, Osifo said, “Yes, we have presented the list of our demands to them and they received it in good faith, that they will go back to their principal and come back to us on Tuesday. 

“So we’re hopeful that the demands that we have presented will be reviewed in the best interest of Nigerian workers and the entire Nigerian masses.”

On what the specific demands of TUC were, he said, “The demands are so long, they are so many, part of it is the demand for a (review) of the minimum wage and we stated that for us, quite apt that the minimum wage today is not a living wage, as we all know. The value of the minimum wage since it was negotiated has plummeted to a very abysmal level, as it is today. 

“Because they are going back to Mr. President, we also think that we should also give them that benefit of doubt because the things we presented to them the last time, they did not also reveal it before the press so it is also quite apt for them to go back, maybe when we meet on Tuesday, we can dissect them one after the other and be much more specific.”

The federal government’s delegation to yesterday’s meeting was led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. Other members of the team were Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole; and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari.

At the meeting, also, were Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Zacch Adedeji; Executive Vice President, Downstream, of NNPC, Yemi Adetunji; and Hon James Faleke, among others.

The seven-man TUC team was led by Osifo.

NNPC Lacks Power to Fix Price of Petroleum Products, Says NLC

Ajaero said federal government lied in its declaration that there was no appropriation for subsidy beyond May. He insisted that records showed that there was provision for subsidy till end of June.

Contrary to the federal government’s position that there was no provision in the budget 2023 beyond May 29 for subsidy, the labour leader argued that there was a backlog of about 2 .3 trillion, according to NNPC.

The NLC president also argued that NNPC lacked the constitutional power to fix price in a competitive market, like Nigeria.

Ajaero stated, “Now if he is saying that there is no appropriation for subsidy, then fine and good. We can take it from there and we have to discuss it. No appropriation for subsidy doesn’t mean that the NNPC, a private limited company, will now determine for us the price.

“If they say they have removed subsidy and it should be subject to market forces, then it shouldn’t be for NNPC to determine prices. They don’t have such powers and there is no provision that their board, as a limited liability company, ever met and took such resolution. Such details are not acceptable to the labour movement.”

Ajaero added, “By Tuesday night, I held a meeting with Mr. President and his team. There and then, the NNPC said they were going to bring out figures and prices. And on the spot, I told them, if you do that, we’ll fight back. There’s no basis for you to take that decision before discussion. And they went ahead and did that.

“We decided to boycott the meeting, but people still prevailed. We attended the meeting and asked them to return to status quo to enable us discuss freely. And up till now, they have not done that. So what are we going there to do?”

Ajaero challenged the government to give Nigerians details of the subsidy they had been paying and who and who were paid.

“We had agreed on some alternatives before now. Why are those alternatives not working?” he asked.

Reacting to a question on why labour was not persuaded by various factual arguments put forward by the federal government and the likely impact the newly constructed Dangote refinery would have on the industry, Ajaero said market forces did mean monopoly in a sector.

He said, “How can there be market forces if Dangote is the only person producing? Are we not repeating a private sector monopoly?

“Why is the Port Harcourt refinery not working? Why is Warri refinery not working? Why is Kaduna refinery not working? Unless there are other players in the sector, we can’t be talking of market forces. We can’t be talking of competition in the sector. We can’t have a single market participant in the sector and we are talking of market forces. It doesn’t go that way. Between now and December, if care is not taken, if it is only Dangote that is producing, a litre of oil will be selling for over N1,000. So the argument doesn’t make sense before us.”

No Division Within Our Ranks, Says NLC 

NLC said all its branches and affiliates across the country were united in the struggle to reverse the unilateral increase in pump price of petrol.

A statement by NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Mr. Benson Upah, described the insinuation that the congress might have split over the planned nationwide strike on Wednesday  “as laughable and desperate attempt by enemies of the people to polarise Nigeria Labour Congress along ethnic or regional lines on an issue with a national spread”.

Upah added, “Happily, this scenario only plays in their imagination, as Nigeria Labour Congress continues to be the biggest pan-Nigerian organisation united by a common vision/mission and shared national values.”

NLC said regarding the looming strike action, “We want to assure that all the affiliate unions of the congress stand together with an unshakeable resolve to prosecute, come Wednesday, except the NNPC and government do the needful.

“Whereas, primordial sentiments, such as religion, region or ethnicity, may be refuge for some, at the Nigeria Labour Congress, they have no place.  

“What counts for us are issues, such as the mindless and criminal increase in the pump price of PMS, whose burden will be borne by the already impoverished communities of the poor across Nigeria. 

“The burden of this malevolent policy will not be borne by other segments of the country to the exclusion of the North or South-west. Thus, there is no reason for these regions to back out of the strike.”

Electricity Workers Threaten to Join Planned Nationwide Strike

NUEE directed its members to withdraw their services nationwide from Wednesday, over the sudden removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

The union, in a strike notice issued yesterday by its acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike, urged its members to comply with the directive from NLC to stop work from the early hours of Wednesday.

In the letter, NUEE said its decision was in response to the NLC emergency national executive council (NEC) meeting held last Friday, in Abuja, over the removal of fuel subsidy by government 

The letter said, “To this effect, all national, state and chapter executives are requested to start the mobilisation of our members in total compliance with this directive.

“Please, note that withdrawal of services nationwide commences from 0.00 hours of Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

“You are encouraged to work with the leadership of State Executive Councils (SEC) of the congress in your various states with a view to having a successful action.”

PDP Urges Tinubu to Engage Labour

PDP, yesterday, called on the federal government to engage the organised labour in finding solutions to the removal of fuel subsidy.

The party stated that there were no adequate consultations before the decision was taken.

In a communiqué at the end of the party’s retreat in Bauchi, which was signed by its National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, PDP noted, “The retreat expressed concerns over the quick removal of the petroleum subsidy and the lack of adequate consultation.”

It urged the federal government to engage in genuine dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders to reach fair and reasonable solution.

On party unity, the PDP communiqué stated, “There was an emphasis on fostering unity both within the party and across the nation. The members agreed on the need for constant engagement and focus on issues concerning the welfare, stability, economy, and security of Nigeria.”

The retreat featured discussions around good governance, democratic accountability, the party’s role in opposition, the recent removal of petroleum subsidy, prevalent poverty, the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians, on-going post-election judicial processes, and the necessity of returning Nigeria to proper constitutional governance.

It also resolved to, “Support party members and candidates in various tribunals to seek redress for electoral injustices and defend victorious candidates. The judiciary was urged to respect and apply the Electoral Act impartially.”

On inter party alliance, PDP encouraged coalition-building with other opposition parties to form a minority caucus and strong alliance for effective national development.

The party stated that on the choice of National Assembly leaders, its support would be given to candidates that promoted unity, independence, and viability of the legislature, which were necessary for good governance, democratic accountability, and united opposition.

Don’t Embark on Strike, Tinubu Means Well, Sanwo-Olu Tells NLC

Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, implored labour leaders to exercise patience on their proposed strike. He urged the labour leaders not to be political over the issue of the removal of fuel subsidy. 

In a statement, the governor said subsidy removal was in the interest of all Nigerians, and urged them to support Tinubu to run the affairs of the country creditably. Sanwo-Olu was quoted to have said this while speaking to journalists after the post-inauguration church thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina in Lagos. 

The governor urged the labour leaders to join hands with the present administration at the federal level and be patient with the president in his commitment to turn the economy around and make Nigeria a better place for all.

 He said, “We are thankful that Mr. President is a product of Lagos. We will pray for him and everything that he stands for. We believe he will replicate all the good things he has done in Lagos in our country, Nigeria.

 “I want to wish and plead with our citizens, even as NLC has said to us that they want to go on strike. It is not the time for a strike. During the campaign trail, every one of our presidential candidates did say that the first thing they are going to do is to remove the subsidy.

“So, what has changed? What has the current president said or what has he done that is different from what any of the other aspirants said they would do?

 “We need to be very patient. He (President Tinubu) has not even done a week. So let us talk to ourselves and say that we shouldn’t turn it political. Let us wait and support this man. He had not done a week on the job. Let him go and reflect and at the sub-national level, we are willing to support him.”

The governor added, “The point is no industrial strike will solve anything at this point, it will certainly not bring an end to the issue. The point will be, how are we going to ensure that there is a turnaround in our economy.

“He has mentioned something about a better wage. We have started that in Lagos. We started it in January; so other parts of the country can also do the same. We don’t need to wait for the national government. We just need to reflect on what the challenges are in our country and let us solve the problem.”

Sanwo-Olu also stated, “I want to plead with the NLC. It shouldn’t turn into a political thing because we have begun to see that. The leadership should know that they are leading a pack of people and they need to restrain themselves. 

 “Let us be patient. Let us work around it. NNPC has said that there is more than enough petrol. So there is no need for us to begin to heat up the polity. There is no need for us to begin to get political; it is governance now and people just want to see purposeful governance. 

 “So let the president settle to do the job and he has said to us he is going to put in place a team that will take the country out of poverty and that is what we are praying for.”

Ndume Begs NLC to Shelve Planned Strike

Ndume also called on the national leadership of NLC to call off the planned strike, expected to commence on Wednesday. 

Ndume, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, urged labour leaders to return to the negotiation table and sort out areas of disagreements with the federal government before opting for the industrial action.

The Borno South senator, who is also Director-General of Akpabio for Senate President Campaign Organisation, also called on Tinubu to personally meet with the labour leaders and assure them of the benefits of removing the subsidy. 

Ndume said, “This fuel subsidy removal is something we must do now or never.”

He added, “We need to open the wounds now and begin to heal them. The NLC needs to work with the government and see how the effects can be minimised. 

“If we don’t remove the subsidy now, some people will continue to milk this country. NLC should go to the negotiation table with the federal government.”

He urged the leadership of NLC to jettison the planned industrial action.

 Ndume said, “The NLC should not go on a strike first before negotiation. They should not make that mistake. Besides, there is no budget for subsidy. Where will the money come from?

“I call on President Tinubu to personally meet with labour leaders and resolve the issues. He should also assure them that things would be all right.”

Meanwhile, the senator said with the appointment of Senator George Akume, agitation by leaders from the North-central zone about the non-inclusion of the zone in the 10th National Assembly leadership will fizzle out.