Senior Workers Reject Planned 5% Petroleum Tax, Threaten Strike

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the national government’s planned 5 percent taxation connected petroleum products and issued a 14-day ultimatum to retreat from it.

The elder workers warned that nonaccomplishment to comply could trigger a nationwide strike.

In a connection signed by its president-general, Comrade Festus Osifo, and secretary-general, Comrade Nuhu Toro, the national described the projected levy arsenic “an enactment of economical wickedness” against Nigerians who are already grappling with the interaction of subsidy removal, precocious substance prices, ostentation and the declining worth of the naira.

“Government cannot proceed to usage Nigerians arsenic sacrificial lambs for its economical experiments. Instead of offering relief, jobs, and solutions, it has chosen to further compression the citizens dry. This is unacceptable,” TUC said.

The labour assemblage directed its affiliates, authorities councils, and structures nationwide to stay connected alert for imaginable mobilisation should the authorities neglect to retreat the plan.

It besides called connected civilian nine groups, pupil unions, marketplace associations, nonrecreational bodies, and faith-based organisations to articulation successful resisting the projected tax, which it warned would worsen poorness and cripple businesses.

Alongside its informing to the government, the TUC besides issued a beardown caution to the Dangote Group implicit alleged anti-labour practices.

According to the statement, reports from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) revealed persistent intimidation, harassment and denial of workers’ rights wrong Dangote companies.

The TUC said different unions, including the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN) and the Textile, Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN), had made akin complaints. It warned that the Congress and its affiliates would not hesitate to mobilise solidarity enactment against the institution if specified practices persist.

“No employer, nary substance however affluent oregon powerful, volition beryllium allowed to trample connected the rights and dignity of labour,” the TUC declared. “This is not an appeal. It is simply a last warning. An wounded to 1 is an wounded to all.”

“Failure to comply volition pull full solidarity enactment from the legislature and its affiliates crossed the federation arsenic each our affiliates are afloat agreed successful this struggle. Let it beryllium known.

The TUC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our sister labour centre, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), successful this combat to support our affiliates and the rights of Nigerian workers everywhere.”

On the petroleum tax, they further said, “The TUC hereby impulse the national authorities to instantly halt this anti-people’s program successful its entirety.

“Failure to bash truthful volition permission america with nary enactment but to mobilise Nigerian workers and the masses for a full nationwide resistance. Strike enactment is firmly connected the array if the authorities dares to disregard this informing and spell up to instrumentality this policy,” the national said.