The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) has restated its call on the Federal Government to review salaries of workers in the entire public sector.
The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba said this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
The last salary review for core civil servants was done in 2009 with an increase of 53.3 per cent.
Wabba said that the salary review for the entire public sector was imperative as it was long overdue and purchasing power was on the increase.
According to the NLC president, it is very clear that for the past 14 years in the public sector, there have not been salary increase outside the implementation of the National Minimum Wage.
“We should not confuse the National Minimum Wage with the salary increase review.
“Salary review is a different bargaining process which in the time past was lead by the Joint Service Negotiation Council and therefore it is long over due,’’he said.
He added that with the challenges with the economy, the purchasing power of the ordinary worker has been eroded.
He further said that the minimum wage would no longer take a worker home, or could barely be used as transportation.
“We want to make a formal demand on behalf of the Joint Service Negotiation Council, call for the review of wages in the entire public sector, because it is actually due,’ ’he said.
Wabba while speaking on the issues affecting judiciary workers, called on the two arms of government, the executive and the legislatures to intervene.
The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, (PASAN) National Assembly Service Commission and National Assembly had threatened embarked on strike on June 6 over unpaid national minimum wage.
According to him, the judiciary remains a very important arm of government and basically they are charged with the responsibility dispensing justices without fear or favour.
“If at this point they are complaining about their wages, it then means that something is wrong.
“We call on the two other arms of government, the executive and the legislatures to take this issue very seriously, ‘’he said.
