L
LequteMan
Guest
The non-striking Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has revealed more details about how labour unions held separate meetings with the federal government over the recent hike in crude oil prices.
Speaking in an interview published by Vanguard, Ajaero said all relevant labour unions in the country had been invited for the meeting over fuel price hike by the government, but Ayuba Wabba, the leader of NLC's other faction, objected.
"On sighting me, Wabba threatened that he was not going to be in the same meeting with me and that he was going to pull out. I remained calm and, for almost two hours, they were consulting on what to do. They now arrived at a decision to meet with his group separately because NUPENG had equally said it would not meet with him since he did not want the factions to cooperate and discuss in the same meeting.
"So, they met with him for almost five hours and we were patient. After they finished meeting with them, the government team also met with us up till 3 a.m. and we adjourned till later in the day. The Ayuba group was scheduled to meet with government side from 3 to 5, or 6 p.m. and we would enter our own meeting. But his faction did not come as scheduled, so government met with us from 6 to around 7.30 or 8 p.m. We then had some understanding. So, when they came, they went into meeting with the government team.
He said he had no idea what transpired between then and had to see it in the news that the meeting ended dead-locked.
Ajaero also spoke about the agreements his faction reached with the government.
"There are lots at stake, like all these committees that were set up. We were insisting on reporting back in one week, but after much talks, we agreed on two weeks.
"This agreement is a means to an end, and not an end itself," he said adding that late Barrister Bamidele Aturu had gotten a ruling that it was only the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, that has the constitutional right to fix the prices of petroleum products, that what government did then was illegal.
"Based on that, we looked at it and said even if you compel government to reduce the price to N50 or labour and government decide to fix it at N50 or even the N145, that does not remove the illegality committed. For over four years or so, the PPPRA Board has not been reconstituted. It was based on that we reached the agreement that the Board should be reconstituted with two weeks for it to start playing its role.
"Now, even if we reconstitute the Board tomorrow, that has not addressed the issue of the price hike because there is a template we have to work with to arrive at the price. In that Board, NUPENG, or labour and other stakeholders are members. I think it is almost a 25-member Board. Then, if you have their backing, why it should be N3 or more, it will be agreed.
"It will now be that the Board discussed with members and, by the time they come out with whatever price, it will be a product of a legal body. That was the discussion we took and, in actual fact, we were so hard that this amount was so high. We told them that it was not sustainable, but we have to do it legally. So, that was why we adopted that option," he said.
Vanguard
Speaking in an interview published by Vanguard, Ajaero said all relevant labour unions in the country had been invited for the meeting over fuel price hike by the government, but Ayuba Wabba, the leader of NLC's other faction, objected.
"On sighting me, Wabba threatened that he was not going to be in the same meeting with me and that he was going to pull out. I remained calm and, for almost two hours, they were consulting on what to do. They now arrived at a decision to meet with his group separately because NUPENG had equally said it would not meet with him since he did not want the factions to cooperate and discuss in the same meeting.
"So, they met with him for almost five hours and we were patient. After they finished meeting with them, the government team also met with us up till 3 a.m. and we adjourned till later in the day. The Ayuba group was scheduled to meet with government side from 3 to 5, or 6 p.m. and we would enter our own meeting. But his faction did not come as scheduled, so government met with us from 6 to around 7.30 or 8 p.m. We then had some understanding. So, when they came, they went into meeting with the government team.
He said he had no idea what transpired between then and had to see it in the news that the meeting ended dead-locked.
Ajaero also spoke about the agreements his faction reached with the government.
"There are lots at stake, like all these committees that were set up. We were insisting on reporting back in one week, but after much talks, we agreed on two weeks.
"This agreement is a means to an end, and not an end itself," he said adding that late Barrister Bamidele Aturu had gotten a ruling that it was only the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, that has the constitutional right to fix the prices of petroleum products, that what government did then was illegal.
"Based on that, we looked at it and said even if you compel government to reduce the price to N50 or labour and government decide to fix it at N50 or even the N145, that does not remove the illegality committed. For over four years or so, the PPPRA Board has not been reconstituted. It was based on that we reached the agreement that the Board should be reconstituted with two weeks for it to start playing its role.
"Now, even if we reconstitute the Board tomorrow, that has not addressed the issue of the price hike because there is a template we have to work with to arrive at the price. In that Board, NUPENG, or labour and other stakeholders are members. I think it is almost a 25-member Board. Then, if you have their backing, why it should be N3 or more, it will be agreed.
"It will now be that the Board discussed with members and, by the time they come out with whatever price, it will be a product of a legal body. That was the discussion we took and, in actual fact, we were so hard that this amount was so high. We told them that it was not sustainable, but we have to do it legally. So, that was why we adopted that option," he said.
Vanguard
