Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has totally rejected the upward review of fuel pump price to N897 per litre, describing it as both traumatic and nightmarish.
Recall that the Federal Government on Tuesday, through the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, announced a jack up of petrol price from N617 to its current price.
Public outcry and wide condemnation have trailed the develop
NLC in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, demanded immediate reversal.
It described the development as a betrayal of labour by the Federal Government in the new minimum wage negotiations.
Labour said it accepted N70,000 as minimum wage instead of N250,000 it had earlier demanded.
The statement titled, We feel betrayed, read: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of pms. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of pms would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
“But here we are, barely one month after and with government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain.”
