Labour slams govt’s silence on electricity tariff hike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointment over the federal government’s silence on the recent electricity tariff hike, which it described as a “disappointing” development.

The NLC made this known in a communique issued on Tuesday after its National Executive Council meeting, where it suspended its indefinite strike for one week.

Despite the government’s agreement to pay a minimum wage higher than N60,000, the NLC has yet to receive any concrete action on its demand for the reversal of the electricity tariff hike and the abolition of the apartheid classification of electricity consumers into Bands.

The labour union has called on the government to address these issues alongside the wage increase, citing their critical role in alleviating the financial burden on Nigerian workers and the general populace.

The NERC approved a tariff increment of over N200 per kwh for customers receiving 20-24 hours of power supply on April 3, sparking widespread reactions among Nigerians.

The government had initially responded by announcing a minor reduction of N18, bringing it down to N208.80kwh for band A customers, but the NLC and other organizations have demanded a complete reversal of the electricity tariff hike.