ABUJA: TUC Visits VP, Mounts Pressure Against New Tariffs, Demand For Wage Increment

THE Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday paid a courtesy call to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at the State House, Abuja during which the union presented its demands to the Federal Government including outright rejection of the new electricity tariffs introduced by the Power Distribution companies (DISCOs) in collaboration of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) as well as demanding for the upward review of the minimum wage payable to the workforce in the public service.

The union explicitly condemned the increment on electricity consumption tariffs stating that the action was aimed at imposing the deficiencies of the power companies of the years on the consumers, and therefore vowed that it would mobilize its members and the entire electricity consumers across the nation to stand against the “injustice and oppression” as he described it.

TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama, who led the delegation, noted that the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2011 would be five years old in March and, in recognition of the International Labour Organisation’s Minimum Wage Fixing Convention 131 of 1970, an ad hoc committee should be raised every five years for the review accordingly.

‎”We seized the opportunity to serve notice that it is time for the Federal Government to set up that committee and mandate it to kick start work on the fixing of a new minimum wage.

“We trust that this will be done immediately to save Nigerian workers from the harsh effects of present day economic realities which is taking tolls on their meager incomes.”

The TUC president described the increase in electricity tariff as ‘anti-people’, adding that the Act of the National Assembly empowering electricity regulator unilateral power to increase and disallowing same legislator from tampering with the act as “very lame, too simplistic and misleading.”

“Any act that preys on the masses that it is supposed to protect negates the very essence of public policy.

“In the same vein, any act that compels the citizens to pay for services not delivered is not only flawed and undemocratic but ultra vires to the power of the National Assembly to make laws for the good of the country,” Kaigama said.