Labour announces nationwide protest on Feb 4 over telecom tariff hike
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to hold a nationwide protest against the recent telecom tariff hike on Tuesday, February 4.
This decision was made during the ongoing National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the NLC, which aims to send a strong message to the government. Workers are determined to resist the planned increase, which they believe will exacerbate the already dire poverty situation in the country.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently approved a 50% tariff increase for mobile network operators, a move that the NLC condemned. On January 22, the NLC rejected the hike, calling it an unjustified burden on the Nigerian people.
In a statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized the tariff hike, describing it as a direct attack on the welfare of workers already struggling with economic hardship. He emphasized that telecommunications services are essential for communication, work, and accessing information, yet Nigerian workers are already spending a significant portion of their income on telecom charges.
Ajaero pointed out that an average worker, earning the minimum wage of ₦70,000, spends about 10% of their salary on telecom services. With the proposed 50% hike, this would increase from ₦7,000 to ₦10,500 per month, a nearly 15% share of their income, which he described as unsustainable.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp:
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
