Following the expiration of the two weeks suspension of threatened strike by organised labour in Nigeria, a meeting has been reconvened by the federal government for possible arrest of any further plan to resume the suspended strike
Organised labour had asked the federal government to reverse the twin increases of petrol pump price and electricity tariff.
However, at the last meeting, it was agreed that the electricity tariff be reversed for a period of two weeks, with committees set up to ascertain the validity of the hike in prices.
A text message obtained by ait.live which was sent by the minister of labour and employment, containing the invitation to the meeting on sunday October 11, 2020 by 7PM at the Banquet hall of the presidential villa, reads in parts that “…you are invited to the reconvened Bilateral Labour/FGN meeting on the issues of PMS deregulation and increase in Electricity tariff by the DISCOS.
The joint NLC/TUC/Government Technical committee on Electricity tarriff set up at the last meeting has submitted an Interim report on Friday, October 9, 2020…” End of quote.
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What this means is that the two weeks the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC suspended the tariff hike of first September has lapsed and charges may return to the hiked ones.
This also means that the hike in Petrol has come to stay as organised labour did not have much to say about the deregulation of the petroleum downstream but has only called for repair of refineries and provision of palliatives, which the government made in a meeting two weeks ago
While Nigerians keep their fingers crossed whether or not Labour will keep its threats to proceed on strike, should government fail to meet their demands, many seem to have given up on the labour centre to effect any considerable reversal on the twin increases in electricity tariff and petrol.
As at the time of filing this report the media has not been officially invited to the rescheduled meeting
Editor : Ena Agbanoma
