The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has on Wednesday reiterated its call on the Federal Government to review workers’ salaries.
Mr. Ayuba Wabba who is the NLC President had made the call when he spoke with newsmen, adding that the last salary review for civil servants was done in 2009 with an increase of 53.3 percent which was not right.
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He said that the salary review for the entire public sector was imperative as it was long overdue, noting that workers’ purchasing power was ebbing.
Wabba noted that there had not been any salary increase for workers in the public sector in the last 13 years outside the implementation of the National Minimum Wage.
“We should not confuse the National Minimum Wage with salary review. Salary review is a different bargaining process which in time past was led by the Joint Service Negotiation Council. It is long overdue,’’ he said.
According to Wabba, economic challenges had eroded the purchasing power of ordinary workers so much that the minimum wage could no longer take a worker home, and could barely be used as transport fare.
“We want to make a formal demand on behalf of the Joint Service Negotiation Council for the review of wages in the entire public sector because it is actually due,’’ he said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) while reacting to the series of petitions they have made to the Federal Government of Nigeria has on Thursday announced that it would be holding a one-day national protest and strike which would be forcing the Federal Government to meet the demands of university-based unions.
The NLC had also noted that reports from a meeting of its Central Working Committee showed a lack of progress in the negotiations with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and National Association of Academic Technologists.
The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, had made this announcement in Abuja during the opening of the National Executive Council meeting on the Congress. Wabba had directed all the affiliate unions of the NLC to issue directives on the planned one-day national protest from next week.