Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have turned down a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government over the removal of fuel subsidy and the subsequent hike in petrol prices across the country.
Politics Nigeria recalls that President Bola Tinubu announced a removal of fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29.
A meeting between government officials and labour leaders last Wednesday, May 31, ended in a deadlock as a result of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) released of a petrol pump price template pegging pump price of petrol at between N488 and N557 per litre across different states.
The meeting was billed to resume on Sunday, however, a leader of the NLC told Vanguard that the union has urged the pump price to the old price.
“Officials of government have been calling us and we have bluntly told them that we will no longer hold any meeting with them until the pump price of petrol is returned to pre-May 29 price,” the source said.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) met with government officials on Sunday, but the meeting was inconclusive.
The union also demanded a pay rise to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal.
