Tariff hike, epileptic power supply, unacceptable in Bayelsa – Labour

The organised labour unions in Bayelsa have rejected the recent hike in electricity tariff by the Federal Government (FG) by staging a picketing exercise.

The Nigeria Labour Union (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had on Monday picketed the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) in Yenagoa to express their resentment toward the hike.

Bayelsa NLC Chairman, Comrade Simon Barnabas, urged the government to, immediately, look into the matter by reversing the hike and giving Nigerians a constant power supply.

He decried the situation where despite the hike in tariff, people were still subjected to epileptic power supply.

He said: “Our action today is a way to inform the government that the hike in tariff is unacceptable by us.

“Of course, the national centres of NLC and TUC gave the directive that we should have a joint action here in Bayelsa State to express our unacceptability of this policy.

“We are calling on the authority to have an immediate reversal and passing information to our people that the labour leadership is concerned about their well-being and welfare.

“We are hoping that there will be a change of mind on the part of the government after this action.

“But where there is none, we have no option than to apply confrontation, as the issue of an epileptic power supply must be addressed”.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa TUC Chairman, Comrade Julius Laye, said introducing another form of taxation was not the right way to handle Nigerians at this time.

He said Nigerians were already sacrificing to buy petrol and diesel at exorbitant prices, therefore, the hiked electricity tariff should not be added to their woes.

According to him, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration should consider the feelings of the masses and allow them to breathe.