..As JOHESU gives 15-day ultimatum over welfare, to begin strike Oct 25
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has demanded the return of petrol prices to what they were as of June 2023.
“We want the price of the product to go below what it was before; not just reverse to what it was before but to go below,” said TUC President, Festus Osifo, at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
He asked the government to specially intervene in the sector by giving foreign exchange to Dangote Refinery at $1/N1,000 and not at the current $1/N1,600 exchange rate to crash petrol prices
“The solution we are proposing if implemented will take us to the price we had as of June last year,” Osifo stated, stressing that “there is no government in the world that doesn’t intervene in its critical sector” and that the Federal Government “shouldn’t leave it (the oil sector) to the vagaries and gyration of our naira”.
Since May 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump prices of petrol from ₦184 in Lagos to ₦998. The price per litre of petrol was around ₦450 in Lagos as of June 2023.
On Thursday, the TUC leader harped on the availability, affordability and accessibility of petrol for all Nigerians, saying that the commodity is essential for all Nigerian households, even those without a second-hand value car.
The trade union placed its demands along the lines of affordability, availability and accessibility, saying, “We want the Federal Government to, through Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), give all marketers licenses to lift petrol from the Dangote Refinery.”
Osifo said the NNPCL should source refined petrol from other places if the Dangote Refinery cannot meet the current daily demands of Nigerians.
“If it is not available, it is a problem. If, for example, the production from Dangote Refinery is less than 15 million litres per day, it is not sufficient.
“So, while efforts are being made to ramp up production from Dangote Refinery, what we are demanding is that we should look for every other means as we are ramping up production, we should source for that difference and bring it in for a while until Dangote can get to that level where the production is sufficient to get to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria. For us, that is key because it will address the issue of availability,” the TUC boss stated.
Recall that on Wednesday NNPC retail outlets adjusted the pump price of petrol in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In Lagos, many NNPCL outlets sold a litre of petrol for ₦998, about ₦150 higher than the initial price of ₦855.
The sudden increase set motorists and transporters in panic-buying mode as they besieged filling stations.
Many filling stations not owned by the NNPCL immediately followed suit as they also incrementally adjusted their pump prices, with many selling as high as ₦1050 in many parts of Lagos.
In Abuja, the situation was not anyway different as NNPCL retail outlets hiked the price of the essential commodity from ₦897 to ₦1,030.
The fresh increase followed the September 2, 2024 increase by the NNPCL. The retail company had hiked the price per litre of petrol from ₦568 to ₦855, sparking outrage.
Though there has not been any official statement from the NNPCL on the latest increase in petrol prices, the NNPCL hinted at a fresh price increase when it began loading its first batch of petrol from the Dangote Refinery in mid-September.
..As JOHESU gives 15-day ultimatum over welfare, to begin strike Oct 25
In another development, the Joint Heaith Sector Unions (JOHESU) which is made up of four registered Trade Unions in the health sector has given the federal government 15-day ultimatum to meet it’s demands bothering on members welfare or risk strike action that would paralyse the health sector and the nation’s economy.
The unions comprises of Medical cnd Hec!th Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutions and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and NorrAcademic Staff Union of Educational Associated Institutions (NASU) refered government to its various correspondences on the plight of its members, as communicated through the letters Reference Numbers: HQ/JOHESU/ADM/VOL,T/189 dated 3rd June, 2020 HQ/JOHESU/ADM/VOL./042 dated 15th June, 2020 and others.
According to the union, in a letter to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, and signed by its national chairman, Comrade Kabiru A. Minji ir, and the national secretary, Martin Egbanubi, the correspondences highlighted a number of its outstanding welfare issues, particularly those that led to the strike action that took place from 19th May to 6th June, 2023 which was suspended consequent upon the personal intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, after a meeting with the Representatives of JOHESU National Leadership on 5th June, 2023 at the State House, Abuja.
The welfare burning and outstanding issues that are still lingering basically, the unions said include; adjustment of CONHESS as was done with CONMESS since January 2. 2014.
“This remains the flagship of the demand of JOHESU which unfortunately has not been redressed despite well-advertised assurances of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when a two-man delegation of JOHESU visited him on Monday, June 5, 2023 to advance the FG’s resolve to get JOHESU suspended its strike which commenced in the dying days of the Buhari’s administration late May 2023.
“JOHESU therefore calls on the Federal Government to invoke a Presidential directive to facilitate the implementation of the Adjustment of CONHESS if the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) has not made progress on this matter since over one year of the President’s intervention”.
Other demands the unions said, were Immediate implementation of CONHESS Adjustment, immediately payment of 25 % CONHESS Review arrears (June December, 2023, immediate payment of nine (9) months’ (January – September, 2024) salary to staff of Regulatory Agencies and immediate restoration of funding to Environmental Health Regulatory Council, Immediate reconstitution of Boards/Governing Councils of Federal Health Institution, commencement of the process to upwardly review retirement age of health workers through Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) to Federal Executive Council (FEC), Tax waiver on healthcare workers’ allowances, immediate payment of COVID 19 inducement hazard allowances to omitted health workers, Immediate suspension of planned establishment and activities of National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) as being promoted by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Withdrawal of the unlawful Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
JOHESU also demanded the full implementation of approved entry point, call duty and other allowances for holders of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D).
Arising from the unanimous resolution of JOHESU Expanded National Executive Council at a hybrid meeting held on 2nd October, 2024, and in compliance with the provisions of Section 41 of the Trade Disputes Act Cap. T8 LFN, 2004, the union said it was constrained to give the Federal Government of Nigeria fifteen (15) days ultimatum with effect from Thursday, 10th October, 2024.
It further informed that with effect from midnight of Friday, 25th October, 2024 all its members in the Federal Health Institutions shall embark on seven (7) days strike action.
JOHESU said, if at the end of the seven (7) days warning strike, and the Federal government fails to meet its demands, it will have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike action.
“Honourable Minister Sir, you will agree with us that JOHESU has always exhibited maturity, selflessness and patriotism even in the face of extreme provocations and government’s long delay in meeting the demands of workers under JOHESU and we think that our maturity and patriotism have been taken for granted.
“This fifteen (15) day ultimatum is necessitated by the non-response of the Federal Government to the plight of our members, in spite of our benevolence and long notice given on these issues.
“We note with sadness that our long suffering is not totally appreciated. We therefore look forward to your speedy response before the end of the ultimatum”, JOHESU noted.
