President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for an additional N10,000 to be allocated to workers for a duration of six months in a bid to halt their planned strike, News About Nigeria reports.
The decision comes after a meeting held on Sunday between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leaders.
The meeting, which was presided over by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila sought to find a resolution to the ongoing dispute and concerns surrounding the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Initially, the President had promised a N25,000 wage increase for low-cadre workers over six months. However, it was met with resistance as labour leaders deemed it insufficient and called for more substantial concessions.
Shortly after, the presidency released a statement announcing an additional N10,000 increment.
The statement read in full:
“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 noted the following:
“i) The Federal Government has announced N35,000 only as a provisional wage award for all treasury-paid federal government workers for six months following further consultation with President Bola Tinubu.
“ii) The Federal Government is committed to fast-tracking the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ease public transportation difficulties associated with the removal of PMS subsidy.
“iii) The Federal Government commits to the provision of funds for micro and small-scale enterprises.
“In light of the discussions held during the meeting, the following were the major highlights:
“The Federal Government urged the Labor unions not to embark on strike action as the issues in dispute can only be resolved when workers are at work.
“Labour Unions made a case for a higher wage award. A sub-committee will be constituted to work out the details of the implementation of all items regarding government interventions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
“The Labour delegation 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.”
