The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has raised concerns over the impact of rising electricity tariffs and excessive taxation on Nigerian workers, describing the situation as unbearable.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with government officials on Monday, Ajaero criticized the current tax policies, stressing that they are placing an overwhelming burden on workers.
“I want to use this particular meeting to put in our displeasure on the electricity tariff and the tax that is killing the workers now the tax regime, which is unbearable. So those are actions that are still on course, you know, until they are addressed. So that’s the summary of the meeting,” the NLC president said.
His comments came amid ongoing negotiations between labour leaders and the federal government regarding the recent 50% increase in telecom tariffs.
On January 20, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a tariff hike for telecom operators, prompting the NLC to announce a nationwide protest scheduled for February 4.
However, following discussions with the government, labour leaders agreed to postpone the protest for two weeks.
As part of the resolution, a 10-member committee—comprising five representatives from both the government and the NLC—has been set up to review the telecom tariff hike and propose viable solutions.
The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within two weeks.
Ajaero also lamented that labour was not consulted before the NCC approved the tariff increase.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasized that both parties had agreed to prioritize dialogue over confrontation, confirming that the planned protest had been suspended.