New Fuel Pump Price Regime Against Interest Of Social Dialogue – NLC

• Threatens to withdraw from ongoing dialogue with government

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has declared that the decision to announce a new fuel pump price regime ahead of discussion with key stakeholders in the country was against the interest of social dialogue.

NLC specifically said that the development was an ambush which runs against the spirit and principles of Social Dialogue, which remains the best platform available for the resolution of all the issues arising out of the petroleum Downstream sector.

The workers’ umbrella body stressed that what the government did was like holding a gun to the head of the Nigerian people and bringing undue pressure on the leaders, thus undermining the dialogue.

It, therefore, warned that it might pull out of the ongoing dialogue with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the fuel subsidy removal.

This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in which Labour called on the Tinubu-led Federal Government to immediately instruct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), to withdraw the “vexatious Pricing template” to allow for free flow of discussions by the parties.

Forefront News had reported that following the declaration of subsidy removal by Tinubu in his inaugural speech on Monday, the NNPCL on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, adjusted the pump prices of premium motor spirit (petrol) by over 300 per cent thereby taking the price of fuel to between N488 and N557 per litre.

But the NLC noted that the Government cannot in one breath be talking about deregulation and at the same time fixing the prices of Petroleum products.

The NLC further said; “This negates the spirit of allowing the operation of the free market unless the government has, as usual, usurped, captured, or become market forces. It is therefore unacceptable, and we seriously condemn it. Good faith negotiation is key to reaching an agreement”.

The NLC President, therefore, warned that the NLC would pull out of talks with the government if nothing was done to withdraw the new price template in order to allow dialogue to continue unhindered.

In the words of Ajaero; “We are worried that the Government through the NNPC despite the ongoing meeting of Stakeholders in the oil and Gas sector to manage the unilateral but unfortunate announcement by the President to withdraw subsidy on petroleum products, went ahead this morning to announce a new regime of prices under a new pricing template.

The NLC President, therefore, called on the federal government to immediately instruct the NNPC to withdraw this vexatious Pricing template to allow the free flow of discussions by the parties, stressing that Nigerians would not accept any manipulations of any kind from any of the parties, especially from the representatives of the government.

Ajaero further said; “Our commitment to this process is buoyed on the fact that all the parties would be committed to ensuring that it is carried out within the ambits of liberty without undue pressure.

“The release of that template may not allow us to continue if nothing is done to withdraw it so that the dialogue can continue unhindered. It is clear that the government is actually trying to scuttle the process.

“As it stands, the federal government has become fixated on their chosen course of action. Would this help this dialogue? It clearly will not.

“There must be flexibility to allow concessions and reasonable accommodation that will produce the best result for Nigerian people. This is what we all seek at this time,” it said.