Labour Issues 7-Day Ultimatum to FG to Conclude Action on Minimum Wage

Labour Issues 7-Day Ultimatum to FG to Conclude Action on Minimum Wage

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union (TUC) has given federal government till next week Wednesday to reconvene and conclude negotiation on consequential adjustment for the new minimum wage.

In a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting between NLC, TUC and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC-Trade Union Side) in Abuja on Wednesday, the labour movement rejected the offer by government for salary adjustment of 11 percent for public workers on salary grade level 07 – 14 and 6.5 percent consequential increase for public workers on grade level 15 – 17.

.It said that the proposal was not realistic and therefore not acceptable to the workers.

“We demand the reconvening of the meeting of the committee negotiating the consequential adjustment with a view to concluding the process that started on May 28, 2019, within one week,” labour said.

In the communiqué, organised labour reeled out economic indices which it said had watered down workers’ pay package since the previous N18,000 minimum wage was Implemented.

The communiqué was jointly signed by the NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, TUC president, Quadri Olaleye and JNPSNC, chairman, Simon Anchaver, and Secretary, Slade Bashir Lawal.

Labour said since the last national minimum wage of N18,000, workers had suffered astronomical hike in the prices of essential goods and services.

Furthermore, it said petroleum price had been hiked from N87 per litre to N145 per litre, a 60 percent price increase.

It also said that electricity had been increased by 60 percent while Value Added Tax recently increased from.5 percent to 7.2 percent.

Labour blamed the government negotiating team for its insensitivity to the sacrifices being made by Nigerian workers, adding that such uncooperative attitude had led to the delay in reaching a deal on the implementation of the minimum wage.

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