The N25,000 provisional wage increment announced for low-grade workers is now applicable to all levels of civil servants, the President Bola Tinubu-led government announced on Sunday evening.
Femi Gbajabiamila, President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff (CoS), made the announcement.
This comes after President Bola Tinubu’s proposed provisional wage increment of N25,000 for the average low-grade worker was rejected by organised labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
In a meeting with government representatives, organised labour demanded a 100% increment.
The President stated that the raise would be for lower civil servants during his Sunday nationwide broadcast.
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.
“Commencing this month, the social safety net is being extended through the expansion of cash transfer programs to an additional 15 million vulnerable households.”
Gbajabiamila, however, revealed that the earlier decision of the President has been reviewed.
He said, “There was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the issue of low-income workers only falling into the category of the provisional wage increase. And we did communicate with the President and he quickly did say and agreed that all categories of workers will be given the wage bill. There is nothing like low income, median income or high income.”
He expressed optimism that the labour unions would backtrack on the nationwide strike planned for Tuesday.
Gbajabiamila said, “Hopefully, we expect that Labour will call a meeting of their various branches and executive tomorrow to do present the agreements that have been reached, and we pray and we believe and we hope that the strike will be called off on Tuesday.”
Ada Peter