The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has approved a pay increase of between 25 per cent and 35 per cent for civil servants on the remaining six consolidated salary structures.
A statement signed by Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku, revealed that the increases took effect from January 1, 2024.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the affected Salary Structures included the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS), and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).
Those in the Tertiary Education and Health Sectors had already received their increases, which involved Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) for Universities.
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For Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, it involved the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS).
The health sector also benefitted through the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The federal government also approved increases in pension of between 20 per cent and 28 per cent for pensioners on the Defined Benefits Scheme in respect to the six consolidated salary structures with effect from January 1,2024.
Reacting to the federal government’s statement on pay increase, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the gesture should be extended to all categories of civil servants.
But Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called on President Bola Tinubu and the governors to prioritise the welfare and working conditions of Nigerian workers.
That was as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that a total of 1,178,960 workers globally might die annually due to climate change-induced workplace hazards.
At the same time, First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki hailed Nigerian workers for their resilience and dedication to duty.
NLC’s Head of Information and Publicity, Comrade Benson Upah, said the pay rise was for certain categories of workers in the public service.
The NLC scribe, who spoke to THISDAY yesterday, said the salary increase was a welcomed development and government should ensure that the margin was reflective of the harsh economic situation in the country.
Upah stated, “I am yet to see the details of the statement, but from what I heard, those affected by the pay rise are from the specialised services.
“These categories of workers are already in the privileged sector but we expect it to be extended also to other categories of civil servants who are in lower cadre and are vulnerable.”
ASUU Seeks Better Welfare for Workers
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, called on President Bola Tinubu and governors of the 36 states to prioritise the welfare and working conditions of Nigerian workers.