The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has issued a strong warning to the Federal Government, threatening to embark on a nationwide strike if the recently approved 50% increase in telecommunications tariffs is not reversed.
TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, made this declaration during an interview on Politics Today, a program on Channels Television, on Thursday.
Following a National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting earlier in the day, the union condemned the proposed hike, describing it as not only ill-timed but also an act of economic oppression against Nigerians.
When asked if the union was prepared to take industrial action should the government fail to act, Osifo responded emphatically, “Yes! Correct!”
Regarding the timeline for the strike, he explained that further meetings of the Central Working Committee (CWC) and the National Executive Council (NEC) of the TUC would determine the specific date and next course of action.
Osifo urged the government to address the root cause of rising costs, which he attributed to forex mismanagement.
“If you know what the root cause of the problem is, why would you start looking at the symptoms? So, all the increment that we are seeing today is the symptom of FX mismanagement,” he said.
He acknowledged that telecommunications companies face high operational costs but argued that the government should focus on providing economic stability rather than approving frequent tariff increases.
The proposed hike has sparked outrage among labour unions and civil society groups. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had initially planned a protest for Tuesday but suspended it after a meeting with government representatives.
Following deliberations, both the NLC and the Federal Government agreed to form a 10-man committee, with five representatives from each side, to review the issue and submit a report within two weeks.
