In an effort to appease workers, President Bola Tinubu has agreed that the N25,000 provisional wage increment he announced on Sunday for federal workers be increased to N35,000.
The wage increment which is part of the measures to cushion the effect of the economic hardship being experienced as a result of the fuel subsidy removal, is to last for six months
Recall that President Tinubu had in his Independence day broadcast announced N25, 000 provincial wage increase for low-grade workers. However after a meeting between the Labour union leaders and the Federal government delegation on Sunday evening, the provincial wage increase was approved for all grades of workers.
The Minister of Information and National Guidance, Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued last evening after a meeting with government officials and trade unions on industrial action scheduled for October 3, said that the federal government will also receive an additional N10 He said he approved it. 000 for a temporary raise. He also noted that the federal government has approved the removal of VAT on diesel products for the next six months.
See the full statement below
‘’The Federal Government, on Sunday, October 1, 2023 met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) on measures to address the dispute arising from the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The parties took note of the following:
i).After further consultation with President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government announced N35,000 interim wages for all federal employees for six months only, to be paid from the national treasury.
ii).The federal government is committed to accelerating the deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to ease the hardships on public transport due to the removal of PMS subsidy.
iii).The federal government is focused on providing funding to micro and small businesses.
iv).VAT on diesel will be waived for the next 6 months.
V).The Federal Government will begin disbursing N75,000 to 15 million households at the rate of N25,000 per month for three months from October to December 2023.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
Considering the discussions that took place during the meeting, the main highlights are:
i)The federal government called on trade unions to refrain from strikes, as disputes can only be resolved if workers are at work.
ii).Workers Unions made case for bigger wage award.
iii).A subcommittee should be established to work out implementation details for all matters related to government intervention to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
iv).The ongoing issues of the Road Transport Workers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State need to be addressed urgently.
V).The NLC and TUC will consider the Federal Government’s offer to suspend the planned strike to allow further consultations on the implementation of the above resolution.
Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, participated virtually in the meeting, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Also, Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Guidance, Mr. Simon Lalon, Minister of Labor and Employment, Nkeirika Onyejocha, Minister of Budget, Minister of State and Minister of Labor, Economic Planning, Abubakar. – Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka Anite, Director of Federation Services, Dr. Folasad Yemi Ehsan and National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu,where all in attendance.
The labour attendees was led by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, Dr Tommy Etim Okon, Deputy President, TUC, NLC General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja, TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, among others.
Mallam Mohammed Idris
Minister of Information and National Orientation
October 1, 2023”
