By Christiana Onuoha
The leadership of the Organied Labour in Nigeria has on Tuesday directed her members in all public service as well as the 36 states and Abuja to prepared for a total showdown with government should the negotiation on the consequential adjustment of the N30.000 monthly new national minimum wage be stalled.
According to the Acting Chairman and Secretary, Joint National Public Service Negotiation Council (JNPSNC), Comrades Anchaver Simon and Alade Bashir Lawal, respectively, the Trade Union side of JNPSNC reviewed downward her demands from 66.66 percent to 30 percent for officers on grade levels 07-14 and 25 percent for officers on grade levels 15-17, but government on its part is insisting on 9.5 percent salary adjustment for Officers on grade levels 07-14 and 5 percent for those on grade levels 15-17.
Workers however expressed concern that rather than presenting the two positions to technical sub committee as agreed, government representatives at the reconvened meeting of Technical Sub-Committee on the new minimum wage surprisingly introduced a strange clause to the discussion, insisting that the Term of Reference of the Committee was to work out the consequential adjustment of salaries of public Servants based on the subhead provided for salaries in the 2019 Budget.
JNPSNC also stated that all efforts by the Trade Union Side to persuade the Government Side to return to the right track of negotiation and agree on a realistic percentage increase proved abortive; adding that have deliberately deliberately created a stalemate on the negotiation, “thereafter adjoined the meeting of the Technical Committee sine die”.
According to a communique issued at the end of the meeting, workers explained that the downward reviewed by Labour was due to a promise by government to undertake a general salary review in no distance time.
The communique further stated that Labour believes that it’s demand is very much reductive considering new salary adjustment approved for some agencies of government whereby salary GL 01 step 1 officer will be going home with about N150,000.00/month.
“The Trade Union Side of JNPSNC has now resolved that the Federal Government should reconvene the meeting of the Technical Committee on Consequential Adjustment immediate|y so that it can conclude its deliberations and ensure that all Public Service Employees benefit adequately from the N30,000 new monthly National Mihimum Wage signed into Law by Mr. President since April, 2019.
“That it has commenced mobilisation and sensitization of Public Service employees in the entire 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to prepare them for total Trade Union actions in the event that negotiation on the consequential adjustment arising from the N30,000 montly new National Minimum Wage completely breaks down”. It stated.
