The Deputy Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Comrade Idogen Emmanuel, said the realisation that neighbouring countries were benefiting immensely from Nigeria’s subsidised fuel informed the decision to shelve the planned strike of the Congress.
Speaking to newsmen in Benin, Edo State at the weekend, Emmanuel said while the removal of the fuel subsidy was painful, the nation cannot continue to subsidise fuel for citizens of Cameroun, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and Senegal.
While noting that the fuel subsidy regime threatened the survival of the country, he added that marketers were feeding fat on it and smiling to the bank. Emmanuel, however, urged the Government to take a holistic approach to cushion the removal of the subsidy.
He observed that the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), in calling out workers for the suspended strike action did not follow due process, as it ought to have given the government mandatory 14 days strike notice including three days warning strike.
“The TUC also observed that the NLC did not give the mandatory 14 days before strike action. That was why we decided to rescind our decision to embark on a strike. This was why we also asked all the stakeholders to go back to draw a plan since the minimum wage will not benefit every common man on the streets”, he added.
