The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, in a joint National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, insisted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration must reverse the recent electricity tariff increase and abolish the customer band classification.
A communique from the joint NEC meeting at the NLC’s National Headquarters, held to discuss the federal government’s higher minimum wage proposal, was issued after the successful suspension of the indefinite nationwide strike on Monday.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero and TUC President, Festus Osifo both signed the communique.
The organized labour underscored the importance of reversing the electricity tariff hike and abolishing the discriminatory banding system for electricity consumers as essential measures to ease the financial challenges facing Nigerian workers and the broader society.
The NEC, considered the top decision-making authority within Organized Labor, stressed the necessity of addressing both the electricity tariff hike and discriminatory band classification alongside the wage increase.
The communique partly read: “The NEC-in-Session is deeply disappointed by the government’s silence and lack of concrete action regarding the reversal of the electricity tariff hike and the abolition of the apartheid classification of electricity consumers into Bands.
“The NEC reaffirms that these issues are critical to alleviating the financial burden on Nigerian workers and the general populace. The electricity tariff hike and discriminatory Band classification remain unacceptable and must be addressed alongside the wage increase.
“There is a greater need to create the right ambiance for negotiation to continue unhindered. The indefinite nationwide strike action is, therefore relaxed for One Week from today to allow the Federal Government to commit to a concrete and acceptable National Minimum Wage: take definitive steps to reverse the electricity tariff hike back to N66/kWh and abolish the discriminatory classification of electricity consumers into Bands.“
