The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Nigeria has insisted that the government should revert to the old price of N195 for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly called petrol, before any negotiation could begin.

Development Diaries reports that following the increase in the prices of PMS across the 36 states of the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced its decision to embark on a nationwide strike and withdrawal of services from 07 June, 2023.

The NLC further wrote to all its 43 affiliate unions to mobilise for a scheduled industrial action slated to begin on Wednesday this week.

It is also understood that the NLC shunned a meeting with a federal government delegation on Sunday, stating that there would be no discussion unless the government returns the price of PMS to its previous rate per litre.

The major demands of the NLC and TUC include a minimum wage increase for workers to accommodate the hardship caused by subsidy removal.

Secondly, the NLC is demanding that concrete measures be put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel price increase which is already causing an increase in the cost of goods and services.

The demands of the NLC and TUC are understandable as President Bola Tinubu has yet to communicate the government’s intervention measures for the masses on the back of the subsidy removal.

A responsible government would have put in place measures to mitigate the suffering of the masses before implementing the subsidy removal.

Why do the Nigerian masses have to bear the brunt of the result of irresponsibility and reckless misuse of public resources by some public officers and politicians over the years?

Millions of Nigerians, especially those in rural communities and the urban poor, are going through a lot of hardship in the wake of skyrocketed food prices and transportation fares.

We at Development Diaries reiterate our call to President Tinubu to explain to the labour unions and other Nigerians how his administration plans to handle food inflation and provide alternative means of transportation.

Photo source: Arise News