• NLC, NUEE reject reclassification of electricity consumers 
• Telcos unaware of NLC’s 35% tariff slash, claims no NCC directive

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed all its affiliates to be on the alert for mass action if the Federal Government implements the telecommunication services tariff contrary to the terms agreed by the 10-man committee.
 
It also warned that any attempt to reclassify electricity consumers by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) would be resisted. 
 
Meanwhile, telecommunications operators are claiming ignorance of any agreement between NLC and the Federal Government to reduce the 50 per cent tariff hike to 35 per cent.
 
The decision was taken by the National Executive Council (NEC) of NLC during a meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, where the congress inaugurated its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-driven mass transit buses for the North East Zone and discussed the economic challenges facing Nigerian workers.
 
This was disclosed in a statement released yesterday.
 
The NLC warned that any further increase in electricity tariff would be met with strong resistance.
 
It called on all industrial unions and progressive allies to prepare for decisive mass action against anti-people policies.
 
NUEE also rejected the planned reclassification of electricity consumers. 
 
Acting General Secretary of NUEE, Dominic Igwebike, in a statement, yesterday, noted that the migration of consumers was not acceptable. 
  
“NEC unequivocally rejects the ongoing sham reclassification of electricity consumers by the
NERC, seeking to forcefully migrate consumers from lower bands to Band A under the guise of service improvement, while, in reality, imposing unjustified bills on the masses. This systematic exploitation, sanctioned by the Ministry of Power, is nothing short of economic violence against the working class and broader Nigerian populace.”
   
“NEC-in-session warns that any attempt to announce further electricity tariff increases will be met with mass resistance. Consequently, the Congress resolves to immediately mobilise for a nationwide protest, should the Ministry of Power and NERC proceed with their exploitative plan to further hike electricity tariffs under any guise. The NLC shall not stand idly by while the Nigerian people are subjected to the unholy machinations of capitalist profiteers and their state collaborators,” it stated.  
 
On its part, rising from its NEC meeting, in Yola, Adamawa State, NLC accused the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, of taking over the work of NERC, which is statutorily saddled with regulation. 
  
NLC was supposed to stage a protest on March 1 to force down the 50 per cent tariff hike the telecoms operators began implementing in February.
 
Some reports, last week, referenced multiple insider sources at the NLC that negotiations between the union and the Federal Government resulted in a compromise, lowering the initially proposed 50 per cent increase to 35 per cent. It was disclosed that a 10-member committee was formed to deliberate and finalise the agreement.
 
An NLC source was quoted as saying: “Have you not heard that an agreement has been reached between the NLC and the Federal Government? The 50 per cent hike in telecoms tariff has been reduced to 35 per cent as agreed by the 10-man committee.”
 
But two senior executives of some Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), who spoke with The Guardian, yesterday, on the condition of anonymity, denied being aware of such negotiation.
 
One of the executives said: “We are equally as confused as you are! Nobody has communicated the 35 per cent reduction in tariff to us. We are just hearing. We need the NCC to notify us that something has changed, but we don’t have that yet. As far as we are concerned, we just heard about it, no formal communication yet from the Federal Government.”
  
Speaking on possible implication of reviewing the tariff from 50 per cent to 35 per cent, the other executive, who also denied any official notification on that, said: “What we asked for was 100 per cent at the initial, but we got 50 per cent, which was not even enough, because if you look at what the telcos are facing with so many of us declaring losses upon losses, some of us have not been able to upgrade current facilities in the last two years, not to talk of expansion and you want us to slash to 35 per cent, forgetting that these are private companies.
 
“Government will not because NLC is agitating to reduce the price of fuel to N450/litre, they left that at almost N1,000/litre, fully deregulated; same for electricity tariff; they have even considered an upward review for that. Nobody is talking. NLC is not protesting. The concentration has been to bring down private companies. Well, no directive yet from NCC to the effect of 35 per cent slash, however, if it comes, they are the regulator, we are duty-bound to respect the authority.”
  
Efforts to get NCC’s reaction proved abortive, as the Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, didn’t answer calls to his mobile phone.