The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have threatened to embark on strike over the stalled negotiation of the Consequential Adjustment of salaries arising from the N30,000 new national minimum wage.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba and TUC President Quadri Olaleye, in a joint statement yesterday, disclosed this after meeting with the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council in Abuja.
They said they could not guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the country if their demands were not met at the close of work on October 16, 2019.
They alleged that government’s nonchalant attitude had dragged negotiations for consequential wages adjustment unduly.
They said the government had kept insisting that it could only pay 11% for officers on grade level 07 – 14 and 6.5% consequential wage increase to public workers for officers on level 15-17.
“Since the last national minimum wage of N18, 000, workers have been forced to suffer huge inflation and astronomical hike in the prices of essential goods and services. The following examples would suffice; the country’s currency, the naira had suffered devaluation from N150 to $1 in 2011 to N360 to $1 in 2019, a depreciation of 140%.
“|To this end, the leadership of organized labour resolved that the offer by government for salary adjustment of 11% for public workers on salary grade level 07 – 14 and 6.5% consequential increase for public workers on grade level 15 – 17 is not acceptable to Nigerian workers”, they said.
