Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to reverse its recent approval of a 50% increase in telecommunications tariff.
President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by Africa Health Report (AHR), stating that the proposed tariff hike is “not only ill-timed but also a deliberate act of economic oppression against Nigerians.”
Osifo confirmed that the union will take drastic measures if the government fails to act, saying “Yes! Correct!” when asked if the union will down tools and enter the streets.
However, he noted that the date for the action will be determined by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the TUC after a series of meetings. Osifo also advised the government to address the root cause of the problem, which he identified as forex management, rather than imposing tariff hikes.
The TUC president acknowledged that telecommunications companies face high operational costs but argued that government-provided economic stability would be a better solution than frequent tariff increases.
The proposed tariff hike has sparked widespread criticism from labour unions and civil society organisations, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) initially planning a protest before agreeing to a 10-man committee with the government to review the proposal.
