Joe Ajaero, NLC President

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

— Describes it as traumatic, nightmarish

THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has said that the recent hike in petrol pump price is both traumatic and nightmarish.

The NLC also said it felt betrayed by the Federal Government following the agreement it reached during the minimum wage negotiation where labour accepted N70,000 instead of its demand of N250,000 so that there will not be any further increase.

In a statement signed by the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the labour movement called for reversal of the latest increase in the pump of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, across the country.

The statement titled, “We feel betrayed,” read: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of pms. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of pms would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.

“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.

“But here we are, barely one month after and with government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain.

It is both traumatic and nightmarish.