The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it has directed all Nigerian workers and willing Nigerians to boycott mobile telecom services starting from Thursday, February 13, 2025 over the implementation of the 50% tariff increase recently approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The Labour Union said this was part of the resolutions of its Central Working Committee (CWC), which met in Kogi State on Tuesday.
The Union expressed shock that the telecom operators have started implementing the 50% tariff hike contrary to an agreement it had with the Federal Government.
“As a first step in resisting this arbitrary tariff hike, the CWC has directed that, beginning Thursday, February 13, 2025, Nigerian workers and other willing citizens shall boycott the services of MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO daily between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM until the end of February 2025,” the Union stated.
Suspension of data purchase
In addition to the boycott, the Union also urged all workers to suspend the purchase of Data from the telecom operators, noting that data has become “one of their greatest tools for exploiting Nigerian citizens.”
- According to the Union, the telecom operators commenced the implementation of the 50% tariff increase on Tuesday despite an earlier agreement reached with the Federal Government and the NCC.
- It added that a 10-man committee was recently constituted to deliberate on the matter within two weeks and report back before any final decision could be made on the new telecom tariff structure.
“The CWC strongly condemns this action by the telecommunications companies, it as a betrayal of trust, an affront to the principles of negotiation, and a direct slap on the government and its institution, and a disdain for Nigerian people.
“CWC-in-session believes that this is a further demonstration of Regulatory capture and impotence in the midst of corporate onslaught and the continuing abandonment of workers and masses to corporate fat cats by the government,” the Union stated in a communique jointly signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja.
Call for tariff reversal
The NLC is also demanding the reversal of the tariff increase and insists that the companies revert to the previous tariff until the committee completes its deliberations and reaches a conclusive agreement.
The body threatened that if the telecommunications companies fail to revert to the old tariff by the end of February 2025, it would commence a total shutdown of their operations nationwide from March 1, 2025.
“All NLC State Councils are directed to commence immediate sensitization and mobilization of their members and the general public within their jurisdictions.
“All NLC Affiliate Unions are requested to mobilize their members across the country to observe electronic silence during the designated hours,” the Union stated.
Backstory
Nairametrics on Tuesday reported that MTN had increased the prices of its data plans as it commenced the implementation of the 50% increase approved for all the telecom operators earlier in January.
While the other mobile operators, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, had not revised their data prices as of Tuesday, they had also started charging N6.00 for text messages, instead of the previous N4-00, which reflects the 50% increase.
- Meanwhile, telecom workers under the aegis of Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN), an affiliate of the NLC, had distanced themselves from the Labour Union’s agitation over the price hike.
- In a letter addressed to the NLC leadership, PTECSSAN argued that the tariff hike, though painful, is necessary to prevent the imminent collapse of the sector, which could have far-reaching consequences for the economy.
- PTECSSAN warned that without the tariff increase, telecom operators might be forced to resort to service shedding, leading to widespread disruptions in communication services across the country.
- This, the union argued, would have a domino effect on other critical sectors, including finance and security.
