Subsidy Removal: NLC Clears Air On Wage Award Proposal To FG

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it has proposed a wage award to the Federal Government to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal on workers and Nigerians.

Mr Joe Ajaero, NLC President said this on Wednesday at the ongoing 111th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ajaero said that the proposal was part of the agreement reached with the government during the negotiation on the removal of fuel subsidy.

According to him, the agreement we had with them is not minimum wage. The agreement we had with them is wage award and it must be understood clearly.

“We have proposed to them a wage award, which could be implemented immediately without waiting for the statutory period for the minimum wage law or for it to expire.

“What we are going to do is to look at the rate at which this wage award will be, whether it will be N100,000 or N20,000.

“This will not stop the review of minimum wage which will be due by early next year. It is good we draw this demarcation.

“We will ensure to review minimum wage statutorily because they have taken action by removing subsidy without providing anything. That is why they are talking about minimum wage’’, he said.
According to him, early this year, the federal government awarded some of their workers a kind of wage award of about 40 per cent that has nothing to do with minimum wage to cushion the effects of COVID-19 and others.

“Now that we are having the effect of this subsidy removal, we will look at an award that will cushion it.

“In this country even in the 70s, we had the Udoji award and others. So, that is the purpose, whatever we are going to come up with at our next meeting with government, but not minimum wage,’’ he said.

(NAN)

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