Plans by the Federal government to cut workers’ salaries have drawn the ire of the organised labour in the country, who have warned against the move being contemplated by the government as a result of a fall in its revenue.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria have asked the government to look elsewhere in its search to reduce its bloated monthly wage bill.
The unions say the government should look in the way of the fat remuneration and allowances of political officeholders “who do very little but collect so much.’’
There have been recent sign indicating that the government could be planning a reduction in the salaries of civil servants. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, at an event organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in Abuja on Tuesday, said President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to review the government payroll.
At the same event, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze revealed that the cost of running the government under Buhari had risen drastically from N3.61tn in 2015 to N5.26tn in 2018 and N7.91tn last year.
“It is most unthinkable that government would be contemplating to unilaterally slash the salaries of Nigerian workers at this time. The question to ask is ‘which salary is the government planning to slash?’, Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, in a statement on Wednesday s ‘We have no more blood to bleed: Organised labour in Nigeria condemns and rejects plans to slash the salaries of Nigerian workers’.
“It certainly cannot be the meagre national minimum wage of N30,000 which right now cannot even buy a bag of rice. The proposed slash in salaries is certainly not targeted at the minimum wage and consequential adjustment in salaries that some callous state governors are still dragging their feet to pay.
“It is public knowledge that the multiple devaluations of the Naira in a very short time and the prevailing high inflation rate in Nigeria has knocked out the salaries earned by Nigerian workers across the board.
“Nigerian workers are only surviving by hair’s breadth. Indeed, Nigerian workers are miracles strutting on two legs. It is, therefore, extremely horrendous for a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pronounce salary slash for Nigerian workers at this time.’’
“This call for salary slash by Mrs Zainab Ahmed is tantamount to a “mass suicide” wish for Nigerian workers. It is most uncharitable, most insensitive, most dehumanizing and most barbaric. Nigerian workers demand an immediate retraction and apology by the minister of finance,” the labour leader said.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Minister of Finance to order now before she sets Nigeria on fire with her careless statements. If there is any salary that needs serious slashing it is the humungous remuneration and allowances pocketed by political office holders in Nigeria who do very little but collect so much!
“Workers generate surplus value and revenue for government. We do not constitute any unnecessary cost or burden to governance! It is also important to make the point that salaries are products of contracts governed by laws. They cannot be unilaterally adjusted.
“While many countries of the world are increasing the salaries of their workforce, extending social security coverage for their citizens and providing all forms of palliatives to help their people through the terrible socio-economic dislocations occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be completely absurd for the Nigerian government to be thinking of salary slash.
“This move is not only at great odds with global best responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also in violation of relevant ILO Conventions and Declarations on Wages and Decent Work.
“We urge Government as a social partner to quickly respond to the demands by Labour for an upward review of salaries of all Nigerian workers. Nigerian workers have shown sufficient understanding with the government through the tough patches of the pandemic.
“Now, Nigerian workers demand reciprocity of our understanding. Nigerian workers demand an increase in their remunerations and allowances.”
