The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Enugu State, Comrade Ben Asogwa, Tuesday, said most policies of the federal government point to government insensitivity to Nigerian masses.
Asogwa, who spoke in Enugu, said the picketing the organised labour embarked upon on Monday was a demonstration of government-induced suffering on the masses.
According to him, the suspension of the picketing was because the federal government pleaded to hold a meeting with the organised labour next week
He said, “If the outcome of the meeting isn’t favourable, we shall adopt more strategic means to achieve our goals. And the option is to reverse to the former electricity billing methods. Anything less will not be acceptable. FG is just introducing policies that work against the people. These policies are putting more stress on the people.”
He said the organised labour engaged the government on a roundtable before the picketing, adding that FG was given an ultimatum to reverse the increase.
Asogwa regretted that the FG is yet to address workers’ minimum wages, but always initiating harsh policies. Quoting him, “Common Nigerians are tied down in a state of difficulties. This is the worst period to increase tariffs having seen the effect of fuel subsidy removal. TUC wrote the government to reverse it, but it fell on deaf ears. Instead, the government came up with cyber security levies. We condemned it, and the federal government asked the Central Bank to halt it. But who knows how they will bring it back one way or the other!”
He advised the government to avoid reneging on agreements it reached with the organised labour to avoid frequent labour crises in the country.
According to him, “There was a mutual agreement in the past that any increment in public utilities should be discussed with the organised labour. But nobody consulted us. Till today, no one has felt the impact fuel subsidy removal.
“The picketing of yesterday is just a tip of the iceberg should the federal government not reverse the tariff. Nigerians are already provoked. Governance is to better the lives of the governed.”