Some labor leaders say there is a need for all stakeholders in the sector, including the government, to analyze the issue of fuel subsidy removal mentioned by the new President, Mr. Bola Tinubu, in his inaugural speech.
Tinubu, on taking office on Monday, said that the budget in place before his coming on board made no provision for fuel subsidy, and so it was gone.
The President commended the decision of the Buhari administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime, saying it had increasingly favored the rich more than the poor.
“Subsidy can no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources.
“We shall instead re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care, and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions,” he said.
Labor leaders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the issue needed a holistic approach.
The National Deputy President, of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Mr. Tommy Okon, said that there had to be stakeholder engagement of which organized labor was one.
“So, we cannot just comment on it until we are engaged, but we have made our position known in our charter of demand to remove fuel subsidies.
“So, it will not be a one-off response because organized labor is partners in progress; they need to sit down and discuss and agree before that is done to avoid industrial unrest, “ Okon said.
