Minimum wage: No option but to embark on nationwide strike – Labour

Organized Labour has directed civil servants and all public workers in Nigeria to immediately prepare for a nationwide strike, as according to it, no further notice would be given to government following Monday break down in negotiation the N30,000 new minimum wage.

The labour union which gave the directive in a statement, Tuesday in Abuja, by the Trade Union Side (TUS) of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, (JNPSNC) said it had become imperative to alert the general public that all efforts by it to persuade the government to implement the new N30,000 National Minimum Wage signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari on 18th April, 2019 with appropriate consequential adjustment, had been frustrated by government.

According to the statement which was signed by TUS Acting Chairman, Anchaver Simon, and the Secretary, Alade Bashir Lawal, “The Consequential Adjustment Committee two weeks ago agreed that the proposal of the TUS that salary of officers on grade levels 07-14 should be increased by 29% and those of officers on grade levels 15-17 by 24% vis-a-vis that of Government Side of 10% for officers on Grade levels 07-14, 5.5% for those on Grade Level 15-17 should be forwarded to President Buhari to see the patriotic position of labour and approved appropriate consequential adjustment accordingly.”

The union noted that, “When the meeting reconvened on Monday 16th September, 2019 to get a feedback on the expected approval from Mr. President, the Government Officials brought a fresh proposal of 11% pay raise for officers on Grade Levels 07-14 instead of its earlier position of 10% and 6.5% for those on grade levels 15-17 instead of the former 5.5%.

“It has become clear that the Government Side is not serious about paying millions of workers a new National Minimum Wage and adequate consequential adjustment but prefer taking the Trade Unions for a ride. As a responsible Trade Union, the TUS has given the Government enough time to come to term with workers demand but it appears that the only language necessary for Government to act is a strike.

“It will be recalled that initially Labour recommended 66.6% across board so as to maintain existing relativity in emoluments of Public Servants, but the Government Side argued that the Wage Bill would be too high. Consequently, the TUS scaled its demand downward by suggesting that officers on grade levels 07-14 should receive 30% pay rise while those on grade levels 15-17 should get 25%, the Government Side proposed 9.5% for grade levels 07-14 and 5% for grade levels 15-17.

“Both parties agreed thereafter to forward the two positions to the plenary session of the enlarged Consequential Adjustment Committee for consideration.

“To Labour surprise, when the Committee reconvened on 27th June, 2019, the Government Side introduced a strange clause and argued that the Term of Reference of the Panel was to apply the subhead of emoluments contained in the 2019 Budget across board to pay the minimum wage which the TUS objected to.

“It is difficult to understand why the political appointees who cart millions of naira away every month are determined that Nigerian workers must not get N30,000 monthly minimum wage with fair consequential adjustment.

“As we write, Nigeria is rated the poorest country in the whole world and yet Government is refusing to implement a minimum wage for Nigerian workers to lift millions of citizens out of poverty. We are calling on conscientious eminent citizens, royal fathers, religious leaders, and civil society groups to plead with the Federal Government to implement the new National Minimum Wage with adequate consequential adjustments to avoid the looming industrial crisis.”

The statement added that the Trade Union Congress of Nigerian (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had been briefed on the breakdown of negotiation in respect of consequential adjustment arising from the new N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage.