Fuel and electricity tariff hike: Why we rescheduled meeting with labour – FG

THE Federal Government yesterday said that it had to reschedule the meeting planned to hold yesterday with the organized labour because the leadership of the two labour centers had engagement outside Abuja. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, announced that the meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday. A statement issued by the Minister through the Deputy Director, Press in the Ministry, Charles Akpan, read, “The meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 15th Sept at 10am.

Venue is Banquet Hall of Presidential Villa. This is to accommodate all President Muhammadu Buhari had, on Friday, after meeting with Ngige, gave the approval for the relevant government agencies in charge of finance to meet with the labour to present the book on the nation’s economy.

Trade Union Congress, TUC, had condemned the recent increase in the petroleum pump price occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and the electricity tarrif hike and had called for a reversal with immediate effect. It was reliably gathered that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, was making consultations with its relevant organs over the increases.

Rivers filling stations vow to shun planned protest over fuel hike

Association of filling station owners in Rivers State have vowed to shun Tuesday’s organised labour strike in the state.

Chairman, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Francis Dimkpa, stated this in Port Harcourt on Monday following stakeholders’ meeting.

Dimkpa, urged all filling stations in the state to remain opened and attend to their customers.

He said, “The leadership of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria is not unaware of the news making the rounds concerning the proposed strike action by some labour organisations in Rivers State.

“For now, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria is not joining the strike action proposed for Rivers State, hence all filling stations are directed to remain open to attend to their customers and motorists.

The Chairman, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, said its decision followed the association’s executive meeting held in respect of the pending litigation concerning the planned strike.

“My executives have always believed in constructive engagement and have resolved to continue to engage relevant agencies as well as the government in this direction.

“We are also aware of the pending litigation concerning this issue, we shall continue to engage up to any level to ensure that our members do not in any way breach the law of the land.”

You may know that the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, and the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaus Adangor, had both disclosed that a National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos had stopped the Trade Union Congress and the Nigerian Labour Congress from engaging in industrial action in Rivers on Tuesday, pending the determination of a suit filed against the unions by the state government.

But the national and state leadership of labour had dismissed the court order, saying workers’ protest must go on as planned in the state, as the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba in a statement, warned Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike against letting any harm befall any worker during the state protest.

Source: Today.ng