The high expectations among public servants that the Federal government will announce a new minimum wage, today, was dashed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Top government officials had last week said President Tinubu would announce a new minimum wage during his 63rd independent address to Nigeriens.
The sources said the announcement would appease the organised Labour in the country to shelve the planned nationwide strike on October 3.
Recall that the two major labour unions in the country, the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, directed their members to proceed on a nationwide strike next Tuesday .
The unions are demanding a new minimum wage and concrete actions from the federal government to ameliorate the difficult economic situation in the country due to fuel subsidy removal by the government.
Surprisingly, President Tinubu failed to announce a new wage for public servants in the country during his national broadcast to make the nation’s independence.
The president only a partial increase for some workers, saying the government is careful not to worsen the current economic situation in the country.
Tinubu said the decision to introduce a partial increase was done in consultation with organised Labour.
He 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.”
Meanwhile, analysts of the president’s speech said the measurement is not enough to appease labour which is bent to shutting down the country, this week, over what NLC and TUC described as insensitiveness on the part of the federal government.
Also, keen watchers of the All Progressive Congress, APC-led government described the partial wage increase for some category of workers as a divide and rule tactics to break the ranks of TUC and NLC.
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