FG to Labour: Don’t expect relief from just salary increase

The Federal Government has told Organised Labour that it should not expect relief from just an increase in wages.

The position of the government followed the insistence of organised labour on a minimum wage of N250,000.

The Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress have rejected the proposed N62,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government and Organised Private Sector.

But speaking on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said relief should be seen beyond an increase in wages.

Idris, who spoke at the opening of the 2024 Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja, said: “On the matter of the new minimum wage, which the Federal Government is very committed to reviewing, realistically and sustainably, as I have repeatedly said, the Federal Government is not opposed to the increase of wages for Nigerian workers, but we keep on advocating a realistic and sustainable wage system for the workers, a wage system that will not undermine the economy, lead to mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of about 200 million Nigerians.

Also Read:

• Alleged $1m, £34,537 theft: Court admits P-Square’s ex-manager to N50m bail
• Scientists working to extend human lifespan to 250 years – Medical expert
• Oyebanji lauds Ekiti procurement system, contractors’ capacity to deliver 
• Lagos to foster environmental sustainability through collaboration, innovation –Sanwo-Olu
• Police intensify hunts for man who stabbed wife to death in Ogun

“We want labour to understand that the relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not come only in the form of an increase in wages.

“It will also come as an effort to reduce the cost of living and to ensure that more money stays in the pockets of Nigerians. 

“And this is where programmes like the Presidential CNG initiative come in.”

Idris said the CNG programme alone, by replacing or complementing petrol usage with CNG, will cut transportation costs by as much as 50 percent.