The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria(TUC) have betrayed Nigerians for allowing the Nigerian Government to withdraw electricity subsidy in the country, Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) has said.
Platforms Africa reports that the group, in a statement, stated that action of the union leaders is a punishment for hundreds of thoussnds of workers in the country who will now forcefully pay higher tariffs twice yearly as power companies now have the liberty to hike tariff periodically
Coordinator of the group,Chinedu Bosah,and national secretary,Soyombo Monsuru,in the statement sent to Platforms Africa, expressed discontent over the ills in the power sector and the failure of the labour leaders to protest incremental tariffs therein.
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The statement read:”The most worrisome is the fact that the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Quadri Olaleye and other key labour leaders have kept quiet only for the government to quietly remove the so-called subsidy that practically implies that power companies can go-ahead to increase tariff so often and unjustifiably.
“Labour leaders threatened to embark on strike on September 28, 2020 over increment in the price of electricity and petrol only to back down and resorted to talks with the government. As a matter of fact, it was the botched strike action and the refusal of NLC and TUC to lead a mass struggle that led to the ENDSARS mass movement that protested police brutality and rising poverty. Talks with the government led to the setting up of a Technical Committee comprising 6 representatives of government/DISCOS and 3 representatives of NLC and TUC.
The only thing labour leaders got from the talks was a delay in the implementation of the then tariff hike for a month and government acceptance to have labour represented in NERC. Given the labour strategic alliance with the self-serving ruling elite, it appears the natural course of action or inaction of labour leaders is to allow anti-people policies unchallenged and unchecked”
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According to the group, labour leaders have agreed with the government to have electricity tariff increased so often despite growing poverty and cost of living.
It also said labour leaders went into talks with the government but never reported back to Nigerian workers on what was agreed upon as they have chosen to remain quiet.
It is the same manner NLC and TUC bark for a struggle but refuse to bite and undemocratically call off strikes. In October 2020, labour unfortunately and openly endorsed privatization and deregulation and so, it is not shocking to endorse tariff hikes, though quietly.Labour leaders have left the flood gate open for numerous attacks on the working people. N30,000 minimum wage has not been implemented by many State Governments despite being eroded by the rising cost of living and labour leaders stand akimbo.
“Diesel and kerosene have been deregulated and the prices have steadily moved up and currently, about 720 per litre and over N500 per litre respectively and this does not worry labour leaders. There is rising cost of living, hyperinflation and rising poverty; there is massive infrastructural deficit and unemployment and labour leaders are less concerned”
It added that there have been three electricity tariff hikes since NLC threatened to go strike in September 2020 but labour leaders have quietly looked the other way.
The group also government’s claimthat it was subsidizing the power sector to the tune of N1.7 billion daily,saying in reality, the government was only bailing out the corruption, expensive lifestyle of the directors and top managers and unsustainable debts incurred by the power companies.
It noted that the N6 billion released by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) was subjected to insiders abuse and sharp practices in 2017 wherein IBEDC gave a loan of about N6 billion to its parent company (Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Group).
It said:”In a profit-first system there will always be unjust hikes in petrol and electricity prices just like other essential commodities. The bourgeois ruling class and their private collaborators always clamour for higher rates and prices to guarantee super profit. The power companies have shown obvious incapacity to develop the sector, they are only interested in higher tariff and outrageous estimated billing while power infrastructure and facilities are in decrepit conditions triggering incessant system collapse and leaving communities mostly in darkness. In fact, hike in tariff is a reward for failure and inefficiency.
” In the last 15 years, the government has spent over $15 billion on power and nothing to show for it fundamentally except darkness. Since the power sector was privatized in November 2013, electricity tariff has been steadily hiked from about N12.50 to about N48 representing a whopping 280% increment”
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