Labour Unions picket NERC Lagos office over electricity tariff hike

By Innocent Raphael

Demonstrating their discontent, workers affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Monday, marched inside the premises of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) headquarters to voice their opposition to the recently implemented Band A tariff hike.

The protest, which also targeted the corporate headquarters of Ikeja-Electric, called for the immediate reversal of the tariff increase.

The motivation of the protest was triggered by localized power outages reported in areas such as Ojodu-Berger and Ogba, which the demonstrators hinted might be linked to their ongoing protest activities.

Prior to this development, both the TUC and NLC had announced plans to picket NERC and electricity distribution companies nationwide in response to the tariff hike.

In a joint statement, the NLC’s Acting General Secretary Chris Uyot and TUC’s counterpart Anka Hassan emphasized the coordinated nature of the protests, scheduled to take place simultaneously across the nation on May 13th, 2024.

“The action will jointly take place on Monday, 13th of May, 2024 nationwide simultaneously.”

“Therefore, the two Labour centres are directed to work together to carry out this important action. While counting on your usual cooperation, kindly accept the assurances of our goodwill and highest regards,” the statement had read partly.

However, despite the tariff hike being within the legal framework established by the Electricity Act of 2023, the labor unions remained steadfast in their demand for a reversal, citing the financial burden imposed on consumers already grappling with economic challenges such as inflation and the removal of petroleum subsidies.