Percy Onyeka
… FG make U-turn, says all civil servants now to benefit from the N25,000 salary increment
Confusion and uncertainty have trailed the October 3 planned nationwide indefinite action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as the union’s were locked in a long hour meeting with representatives of the federal government at the presidential villa on Sunday
The make or mar meeting, which was still ongoing as at the time of going to the press late Sunday, could not however prove any signs of averting the planned strike as they could not reach any agreement
This is even as the organised labour has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s N25, 000 Provisional wage increment for the average low-grade worker to cushion the effect of the removal of petrol subsidy.
Tinubu had during his independent broadcast to Nigerians, announced that the federal government will increase the salary of the nation’s junior civil servants with N25,000 for a period of six months
President Tinubu in his nationwide broadcast on the occasion of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Anniversary had said: “Based on our talks with labour, business and other stakeholders, we are introducing a provisional wage increment to enhance the federal minimum wage without causing undue inflation. For the next six months, the average low-grade worker shall receive an additional Twenty-Five Thousand naira per month.
“Commencing this month, the social safety net is being extended through the expansion of cash transfer programs to an additional 15 million vulnerable households.”
But the organized Labour unions has swiftly reacted to the broadcast, rejecting the government proposed six months of the provisional wage increase as well as the N15 million additional Conditional Cash Transfer for vulnerable households
Sources close the the Sunday meeting revealed that Labour has kept it’s strike option alive, after it rejected the N25, 000 provisional wage and demanded the wage to be 100 percent of the current minimum wage.
It was further gathered that Labour insisted that the provisional wage should be for all workers, instead of if only the junior workers as proposed by the federal government adding also that it will not be limited to only six months but rather be running till when new minimum wage would be approved next year.
The organised labour also insisted that the Conditional Cash Transfer for the poorest and vulnerable people should be increased to N25, 000 and not the N5000 the previous administration was paying.
The federal government was represented at the stormy meeting by the Chief of Staff to the president, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was accompanied by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong.
Meanwhile, in it’s determination to avert the looming nationwide labour strike, the federal government had come out with an amendment of it’s proposed N25 000 salary increament for junior workers
The federal government has bowed to labour pressure as it has announced that all cadre of workers in the Federal Civil Service will now benefit from the N25,000 wage increment for a six months period as announced by President Bola Tinubu during his Independence day broadcastto cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
The federal government U-turn followed labours rejection of the earlier proposal which was meant to accommodate only low income civil servants
It was gathered that the new resolution o benefit all level of civil servants was taken at a meeting between the Federal Government and Labour Unions in Aso Rock on Sunday evening,
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, who chaired the meeting, announced this at the end of the dialogue.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
