Fuel subsidy: Govt response to our demands will determine our action – TUC

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said that the Federal Government’s response to its demands following the removal of fuel subsidy, will determine her next line of action.

Addressing journalists at the end of an emergency meeting of the congress’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo said the demands which will contain measures to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal would be presented at Sunday’s meeting with the Federal Government delegation.

Osifo said that the NEC-in- session had resolved that discussions with Federal Government should continue while demanding that the government should revert to the status quo ante.

He said that the NEC-in- session strongly frowned at the FG for unilateral decision to remove the fuel subsidy.

He said the TUC’s expectation was that the government should have engaged Organised labour.

“Having noted this, we wish to state that the NEC-in- session resolved that discussions with Federal Government should continue while demanding that the government should revert to the status quo ante.

“The status quo ante should be maintained while discussions continue as we had a meeting with the government on Wednesday.

“During that discussion, they gave us a list of all the things they would do and they also demanded to know our thinking and what we are putting up.

“We told them the lists of the things we want to put forward, we will not submit them now but put them forward to our organs, to discuss and seek a mandate from them of the things we can put forward,’ ‘he said.

According to Osifo, it is how the government reacts to TUC’s demands that will determine the union’s next line of action.

“We will wait till Sunday when we will meet with the representatives of the government.

“Once we are done with that meeting then the TUC is going to put its demands forward, it is how they react to those demands that will determine our next line of action, ”he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress also had its NEC meeting and has said it will embark on a nationwide strike from June 7 if the issue of fuel subsidy removal and increase in the price of fuel is not reverted.