The Nigeria Civil Service Union on Thursday insisted on the N907,000 minimum wage proposed by the Nigeria Labour Congress during the zonal meetings with the Tripartite Committee of the Minimum Wage.
It added that the Federal Government lacks the ideas on how to tackle the economic challenges facing the country.
Comrade Adoga Gupada Aruwa, Federal Council Chairman, made this known while speaking at the 58th Federal Executive Council meeting of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja chapter.
The Federal Council Chairman alleged that Nigeria is at the mercy of foreign agencies like the International Monetary Fund, whose policies are said to be anti-people.
Aruwa said: “I must inform you that our dear country is faced with a lot of challenges.
“The most vital of these challenges is economic challenges.
“You will agree with me that our government has no concrete idea on how to solve these challenges.
“We seem to be at the mercy of international agencies who are trying to direct our economic affairs such as the IMF.
“This, of course, may bring about job losses.”
Comrade Aruwa however called for unity among workers, stressing that the times in the country required encouragement among members, especially on issues outside their primary assignment.
“Comrades, I don’t want us to be repeating ourselves in the area of insecurity because it appears that our government does not have any solution in sight. The consequence of this is that banditry will continue to thrive,” he stated.
Speaking on the issue of minimum wage, Aruwa, while insisting on the N907,000 proposal by the NLC, said that labour is looking forward to a living wage that will be more sustainable.
He said: “The National Minimum Wage, we’re no longer having the wage that can take us home.
“So, the NLC, TUC, and all the affiliates, we are on the same page in the struggle that the government should increase our national minimum wage so that we can meet up with the current challenges we’re facing as a result of the high cost of living.
“The purpose of this meeting is to create awareness, sensitise our workers on the current happenings in the country.
“It is a constitutional meeting we normally convene twice in a year.
“This is the first of this year.”
On his part, the Assistant General Secretary of NCSU, Comrade Daniel Otakpo, said Nigerians are suffering as a result of the fuel subsidy removal because there was no adequate preparation put in place to caution the effect.
Otakpo said: “In the first place you ask yourself how was the fuel subsidy removed by the President and Commander-in-Chief?
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“We are aware that he was not quite prepared for the removal of the fuel subsidy because before fuel subsidies should be removed, you should have put in place some programmes.
“No programme was put in place.
“He just made an announcement thinking it will be as easy as he thinks.
“Since the removal of fuel subsidies, the civil servants especially have been finding life very difficult despite the wage award.”
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