NLC announces plans to hold nationwide protest against telecom tariff hike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans for a nationwide protest against the increase in telecom tariffs, scheduled for Tuesday, February 4.

This decision was revealed during the ongoing National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the Labour union.

The union emphasized that the protest serves as a warning to the government, indicating that workers will not accept the proposed hike, which they believe will exacerbate the existing poverty levels throughout the nation.

It’s important to note that on January 22, the NLC had already opposed the 50 percent increase in telecommunication tariffs sanctioned by the Federal Government via the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The NLC stated that approving such a significant tariff hike during a time when Nigerian workers and the general populace are facing severe economic challenges is a blatant attack on their well-being and a neglect of the people’s needs in favor of corporate interests.

In a statement titled “50% Telecom tariff hike: Another burden too harsh!” NLC’s President, Joe Ajaero, said;

“The NLC expresses its unequivocal condemnation of the Federal Government’s recent approval, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, of a 50 percent increase in telecommunication tariffs.

This decision, coming at a time when Nigerian workers and the masses are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, is a clear assault on their welfare and an abandonment of the people to corporate fat cats.

Telecommunication services are essential for daily communication, work, and access to information. Yet, an average Nigerian worker already spends approximately 10 percent of their wages on telecom charges.

For a worker earning the current minimum wage of N70,000, this means an increase from N7,000 to a staggering N10,500 per month or 15 percent of his salary — a cost that is unsustainable.

This hike exemplifies the government’s apparent ease in prioritizing corporate profits over citizens’ welfare.

It is shocking that the government approved this 50 percent tariff increase for telecom companies within a month, yet took nearly a year to approve the recent minimum wage for workers, despite the rising cost of living and inflation eroding purchasing power.

This glaring disparity underscores a troubling reality. The government appears more aligned with the interests of wealthy corporations than with the needs of the workers and citizens it is meant to serve.

We must ask: ‘when will the government stand for the people it swore to protect?’ When will the National Assembly rise to its responsibility and hold the executive accountable for policies that blatantly undermine the welfare of the majority? When will the common man heave a sigh of relief in Nigeria?

We call on the government, the NCC and the National Assembly to stop the implementation of this ill-advised hike to allow a reasonable conversation around the hike. If the dialogue agrees on the need for the hike, then we can all seek a more humane increase and definitely not this 50 percent hike.

The NLC calls on all Nigerian workers and masses to reject this unjustifiable tariff hike. We urge citizens to prepare for collective action, including the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunication services, to compel the reversal of this punitive increase.

This is a fight for our dignity, our rights, and our survival as a people. The Nigeria Labour Congress remains resolute in defending the interests of Nigerian workers and the masses. We will not allow the people to bear the brunt of policies that further entrench poverty and inequality.

Together, we will do our best to resist this injustice and demand that government prioritizes the interests of its citizens over corporate interests.”