The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has issued a stern warning of a nationwide strike unless the Federal Government reverses its recent approval of a 50 percent increase in telecommunications tariffs.
President of the TUC Festus Osifo, made the announcement during a televised interview on Thursday, following a National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting earlier in the day. The TUC condemned the proposed tariff hike, calling it not only poorly timed but also an intentional act of economic oppression against Nigerians.
When asked if the union would proceed with industrial action if the government does not act on their demand for a reversal, Osifo responded firmly: “Yes! Correct!”
He further clarified that while today’s NAC meeting was to raise awareness, the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) would determine the specific date for the strike and outline further steps.
Osifo attributed the telecom tariff increase to deeper economic issues, particularly foreign exchange mismanagement. “If you know what the root cause of the problem is, why would you start looking at the symptoms?” he questioned, stressing that the tariff hike was merely a symptom of broader forex issues. “All we are asking is that we sit down and address the root cause. Once that is done, these symptoms will disappear,” he added.
While acknowledging that telecom companies face high operational costs, Osifo suggested that the government should focus on creating an economic environment that ensures long-term stability, which could help reduce these operational costs instead of continually raising tariffs.
The proposed telecom tariff increase has sparked considerable backlash, with labor unions and civil society groups voicing strong opposition. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had planned protests for Tuesday but decided to suspend the action after discussions with the Federal Government. Both parties agreed to form a 10-person committee, split evenly between the NLC and the government, to review the matter and submit a report within two weeks.
