Pensioners, under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Southwest Zone, have urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to return to its demand for the N250,000 minimum wage, News About Nigeria reports.
They also rejected the N70,000 minimum wage newly signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking in a communique at the end of their zonal meeting held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, the pensioners noted that their demand is in line with the current economic realities.
The NUP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Dr Olusegun Abatan, who read the communique to journalists, also lamented the increase in the price of premium motor spirit also known as petrol.
According to him, the FG tricked the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) into accepting the N70,000 new minimum wage before going ahead to hike the petrol price.
The communique partly reads, “We found out that before the N70,000 was even implemented, the Federal Government has gone ahead to further increase the price of petrol, and we concluded that the two labour centres that went into that negotiation went there blindfolded and naïve. The Federal Government took advantage of the naivety and inexperience of Comrade Joe Ajaero, and Festus Usifo, by tricking them into accepting N70,000 and that it would not increase fuel prices, but no sooner they agreed to kowtow what was said about N70,000, the Federal Government went ahead to increase fuel price.
“To that extent, the Southwest is rejecting the N70,000 minimum wage that Labour has negotiated and advised that Labour should go back to the negotiating table and insist on the N250,000 they initially wanted. Before you know it, the N2,000 that the Federal Government said it was going to increase the fuel price to will eventually emerge. Labour should go back. The value of the N70,000 is just about 60 litres of fuel. Labour should go back to negotiate N250,000 minimum wage. They have our backing on whatever is involved even strike to achieve a realistic minimum wage.”
