NLC directs workers to boycott telecom services over tariff hike

• Published On: 12 February 2025 at 20:22

The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for a boycott of mobile telecom services beginning Thursday, February 13, 2025, in protest of the Nigerian Communications Commission's recent 50% tariff hike approval.

The decision came after a meeting of the NLC's Central Working Committee in Kogi State on Tuesday, during which the union expressed its opposition to the increase.

The Union stated this in a communique signed by both its President, Joe Ajaero, and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja.

The NLC expressed surprise that telecom operators had begun implementing the 50% tariff increase despite an agreement with the federal government.

The union argued that the hike violates previous commitments to prevent such an increase, which fuelled its decision to call for a boycott.

"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 explained.

Along with the telecom service boycott, the NLC has urged all workers to stop purchasing data from telecom operators. The union criticised data as one of the primary tools used to exploit Nigerian citizens, emphasising the importance of workers taking a stand against these practices.

The NLC stated that telecom operators began implementing the 50% tariff increase on Tuesday, despite an earlier agreement with the Federal Government and the NCC to prevent such an increase.

The union expressed its dissatisfaction with the breach of the agreement and pledged to continue its protest actions.

"The CWC strongly condemns the telecommunications companies' actions, describing them as a betrayal of trust, an affront to negotiation principles, a direct slap on the government and its institutions, and a disregard for Nigerian citizens.

"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," a statement read.

The NLC is demanding that the 50% tariff increase be reversed, and that telecom companies return to their previous tariffs until the ongoing committee deliberations reach a final agreement.

The union has threatened that if the companies do not respond by the end of February 2025, it will begin a nationwide shutdown of operations on March 1, 2025.

It was previously reported that MTN had increased its data prices to reflect the 50% tariff increase approved for all telecom operators earlier in January.

While Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile had not yet adjusted their data prices as of Tuesday, they had raised the cost of text messages to N6.00, up from N4.00 previously, in accordance with the 50% increase.