President Bola Tinubu has agreed to increase the provisional wage award for all federal workers from N25,000 to N35,000 per month for six months.
The decision was announced on Sunday night after a meeting with the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to avert a nationwide strike over the removal of fuel subsidy.
The president had earlier declared in his Independence Day speech that low-grade workers would receive an additional N25,000 every month for the next six months as part of his administration’s efforts to cushion the impact of the subsidy removal. However, labour unions rejected the offer and demanded a higher wage increment for all categories of workers.
According to a statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris, the president consulted with his team and approved the N10,000 increase after listening to the arguments of the labour leaders.The statement also reiterated the government’s commitment to providing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, funds for micro and small-scale enterprises, VAT waivers on diesel, and cash transfers to 15 million households as part of the measures to address the dispute.
The labour unions, in turn, agreed to suspend their planned strike and resume work on Monday. They also expressed their appreciation to the president for his intervention and willingness to dialogue with them. They urged the government to implement the resolutions reached at the meeting without delay
