The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has kicked against the planned increment of electricity tariff by 40%.<\/p>\n
NLC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, asked the federal government to stop the increase for “collective safety.” <\/p>\n
Ajaero said the hike marked a deliberate insouciance to welfare of the poor, describing as insensitive.<\/p>\n
He said \u201cThe plan to increase electricity tariff by 40% by July 1st is both insensitive and callous and reflects an organised indifference to the well-being of consumers, especially, the poor ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe massive increase is explained away as a response to the over 100 per cent increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit (pms).\u201d<\/p>\n
The organised labour, further stated; \u201cDetails reveal a movement in inflation from 16.9% to 22.41 (threatening to needle 30), and a shift in exchange rate from N441 to N750.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe not even these figures are a justification for this reckless proposed tariff increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue of capacity to pay and quality of service delivery are not only germane but superior to any rationalisation by market logic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe service providers in spite of sundry support have not been able to meet the threshold of 5000 megawatts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ajaero went on to say, \u201cThere have been surreptitious increases without notice in violation of statutes.The inherent risk in the new regime of tariff is that there is no control, implying that by August, consumers will pay new rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other risk is that by the time other product or service-rendering entities come up with their new prices or rates, the ordinary person would have been compacted into dust.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would want to advise apostles of the Market who have called NLC all sorts of names to check their conscience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rate at which they are going is highly combative and combustible. With contemplation of payment of school fees in tertiary institutions and increases in privately-owned ones in addition to other costs\/tariffs on the way, life in Nigeria could truly be Hobbesian.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe market economies which the Market Fundamentalists seek to emulate, have in place socio-economic safeguards which we do not have.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn light of this, our advice is that this proposed tariff hike should be shelved for our collective safety.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has kicked against the planned increment of electricity tariff by 40%. NLC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, asked the federal government to stop the increase for “collective safety.” Ajaero said the hike marked a deliberate insouciance to welfare of the poor, describing as insensitive. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":272254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"2","single_blog_custom":"211693","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"0","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"0","show_prev_next_post":"0","show_popup_post":"0","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":{"override_bookmark_button":"0","override_show_bookmark_button":"0"},"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[20728,66815,371,872],"class_list":["post-275838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-20728","tag-electricity-tariffs-increase","tag-fg","tag-nlc"],"yoast_head":"\n