The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the 50 per cent increase in telecommunication tariff.

Joe Ajaero, NLC president, conveyed the condemnation on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement titled,” 50 per cent Telecom Tariff Hike: Another Burden Too Harsh”.

According to Mr Ajaero, the NLC expresses its unequivocal condemnation of the federal government’s recent approval, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of a 50 per cent increase in telecommunication tariffs.

“This decision, coming at a time when Nigerian workers and the masses are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, is a clear assault on their welfare and an abandonment of the people to corporate fat cats.

“Telecommunication services are essential for daily communication, work, and access to information. Yet, an average Nigerian worker already spends approximately ten per cent of their wages on telecom charges,” he said.

According to him,  for a worker earning the current minimum wage of N70,000, this means an increase from N7,000 to a staggering ₦10,500 per month or 15 per cent of his salary, a cost that is unsustainable.

“This hike exemplifies the government’s apparent ease in prioritising corporate profits over citizens’ welfare,” Ajaero said.

He said it was shocking that the government approved the 50 per cent tariff increase for telecom companies within a month.

“It took nearly a year to approve the recent minimum wage for workers, despite the rising cost of living and inflation eroding purchasing power.

“This glaring disparity underscores a troubling reality: the government appears more aligned with the interests of wealthy corporations than with the needs of the workers and citizens it is meant to serve.

“We must ask when will the government stand for the people it swore to protect?

“When will the National Assembly rise to its responsibility and hold the executive accountable for policies that blatantly undermine the welfare of the majority?”

He urged the NCC and the National Assembly to stop the implementation of the tariff hike to allow for a reasonable conversation around it.

He said that if the dialogue agreed on the need for the hike, a more humane increase could be sought, but not by 50 per cent.

He, therefore, called on all Nigerian workers and masses to reject the tariff hike.

He urged citizens to prepare for collective action, including the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunication services, to compel the reversal of the punitive increase.

“This is for our dignity, our rights, and our survival as a people.

“The NLC remains resolute in defending the interests of Nigerian workers and the masses.

“We will not allow the people to bear the brunt of policies that further entrench poverty and inequality.

“Together, we will do our best to resist this injustice and demand that government prioritises the interests of its citizens over corporate interests,” he said.

(NAN)