Why NLC, TUC suspend strike, mass protest
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| Chris Ngige, Quadri Olaleye and Ayuba Wabba |
By Abimbola Oloyede
Facts have emerged why Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, have suspended strike and mass protest already scheduled to begin on Monday.
According to TUC chairman, Lagos State chapter, Gbenga Ekundayo, “the strike was suspended to see what the government will come up with in two weeks.
“When labour leaders go into a negotiation, it is for a purpose, and when that purpose is not served, we press home the demands by withdrawing services of our members.
“Our national leaders went into further negotiations... An understanding has been reached and the strike was called off.
“But Nigerians should not lose faith in the organised labour,” he said.
The unions suspended the strike and mass protest after a technical session that started on Sunday midnight and lasted till Monday.
The decision to suspend the strike followed an agreement reached between both parties to avert the nationwide strike which would have grounded economic activities in the country.
NLC, TUC, however, stated that the strike was suspended not called off and it could be recalled if the government doesn’t fulfill its end of the deal reached at the meeting in the next two weeks.
According to the communique, a technical committee comprising labour leaders, government agencies and ministries will in two weeks look into issues concerning the recent electricity tariff hike so as to validate ”the basis for the new cost-reflective tariff as a result of the conflicting information from the fields which appeared different from the data presented to justify the new policy by NERC; metering deployment, challenges, timeline for massive rollout”.
“During the two weeks, the DISCOs shall suspend the application of the cost-reflective electricity tariff adjustments,” it said.
“An all-inclusive and independent review of the power sector operations as provided in the privatization MoU to be undertaken before the end of the year 2020, with labour represented.
“All parties agreed on the urgency for increasing the local refining capacity of the nation to reduce the over-dependency on importation of petroleum products to ensure energy security, reduce cost of finished products, increase employment and business opportunities for Nigerians.”
The labour unions and the government also agreed on rehabilitating the nation’s refineries to reduce the cost of petrol.
The communique said: “To ensure commitment and transparency to the processes and timelines of the rehabilitation exercise, the management of NNPC has offered to integrate the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association into the steering committee already established by the corporation,”
“The Federal Government will facilitate the delivery of licensed modular and regular refineries, involvement of upstream companies in petroleum refining and establishing framework for financing in the downstream sector.
“NNPC to expedite work on the Build, Operate and Transfer framework for the nation’s pipelines and strategic depots network for efficient transportation and distribution of petroleum products to match the delivery timelines of the refineries as agreed.”
The NLC and TUC had called for a nationwide strike to protest against the increase in electricity tariff and the price of petroleum.
As part of the agreement, the Federal Government will suspend the electricity price tariff hike and has to set up a committee to look into what the labour minister described as conflicting field reports justifying the hike in electricity tariff.
The suspension of the strike and protest will be for a two-week period during which the committee will conduct its investigations and submit its report.
Based on the agreement, the new price of fuel will, however, remain in place but the government promised to do more to improve local refining capacity, rehabilitate Nigeria’s refineries and pursue the CNG alternative aggressively by for instance providing CNG mass transit buses across the country.
Below is a communique containing the resolutions reached at the last meeting between government representatives, NLC and TUC representatives:
•A fund to be accessed by 240,000 workers under the NLC and TUC for use in agricultural ventures through the Central Bank of Nigeria and the ministry of agriculture
•No tax on minimum wage as a way of cushioning the effect of the pandemic on the lowest vulnerable
•FG to provide 133 compressed natural gas and liquified petroleum gas mass transit buses to labour and provide to the major cities across the country on a scale-up basis thereafter to all states and local governments before December 2021.
•10% of the ongoing ministry of housing and finance initiative to be allocated to Nigerian workers through the NLC and TUC.
•Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to integrate the leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) into an already established steering committee.
•NNPC to expedite the rehabilitation of the four refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
•Port Harcourt refinery to reach 50 percent by December 2021 and a steering committee to determine completion date for Warri and Kaduna refineries.
•After rehabilitation, NNPC to involve PENGASSAN and NUPENG in the process of establishing the operational model of the refineries.
•NNPC to expedite work on the build, operate and transfer framework for the pipelines and depots network for transportation and distribution of petroleum products to match the delivery timelines of the refineries.
•FG to facilitate the delivery of licensed modular and regular refineries, involve upstream companies in petroleum refining and establish a financing framework in the downstream sector.
•FG to ensure delivery of one million CNG/LPG AutoGas conversion kits, storage skids and dispensing units under the Nigeria Gas Expansion Programme by December 2021 for cheaper transportation and power fuel.
•A team comprising the representatives of the NNPC, NUPENG, PENGASSAN, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), will be established to monitor the progress of the rehabilitation of the refineries and the pipelines/strategic depots network and advice the steering committee.
•FG, labour unions to set up a technical committee to examine the justification for a new cost-reflective tariff introduced by the NERC, advise FG on the issues that have hindered the deployment of the six million meters, examine the tariffs imposed by DisCos in comparison to NERC’s order and examine the NERC act with a view of expanding its representation to include labour
•Suspension of new electricity tariff while the committee concludes its assignment
•FG’s 40 percent stake in DISCOs should be reflected in the composition of the board of the DISCOs.
•An all-inclusive and independent review of the power sector operations as provided in the privatisation MOU will be carried out before the end of 2020, with labour represented.
•The moribund National Labour Advisory Council, NLAC, be inaugurated before the end of 2020 to institutionalise the process of dialogue on major socio–economic and labour matters to avoid crisis.:
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