By, JOHN
The bone of contention between the Nigeria Labour Congress being led by comrade Joe Ajaero and the Federal government has become an ember of the fire that refuses to be quenched and it’s hard to scroll the internet or read print media without coming across headlines on Salary increment on Punch, Tribune and Cable news, X, Facebook etc
Before we join the school of public opinion and condemn the two actors, we need to look at the Pros and the Cons of the struggle: The Nigeria Labour Congress is the pressure that wants to drive home her request and go into a temporary extinction concerning the countries politics, and the Federal government side with the President tripartite committee that wants to placate the NLC with crunches of Lion’s share.
Why Salary increment? After the figure of the old salary has expired on the 18th of April, 2024. A new one is expected to come into the limelight on the 19th of April, 2024. Nigerian public sector workers asking for an increment in their salary is justified and appropriate, with the rate at which the price of goods is skyrocketing. Market women are even afraid to go to their workplace, as transport fare has become a cankerworm that is eating their profit.
Salary increment in Nigeria cannot bring out the targeted goal of meeting the end need with the alarming rate of inflation and the Nigerian Government not being ready to dance to the tune of NLC unless they go on strike and everything ends in a stalemate. FG putting the NLC at her beck and call, and cuddle her with a token is a game of hide and seek that can’t benefit the aggrieved workers here. Besides, if the Federal Government should meet the needs of the NLC, the market women, farmers and petty traders are also waiting with their hands crossed to practice the theory of extortionist in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
According to the Press release of NLC on 2nd of May, 2024 when NLC tendered their initial demand of Six hundred and fifteen thousand Naira (615,000) as the new minimum wage Housing/Accommodation is ranked first on the scale of preference and Federal government reluctancy to pay that amount but maintain her stand to pay Sixty-two thousand Naira (62,000) which is far short of what the Nigeria Labour Congress is asking for.
Can the Federal Government pay this amount of money? Probably! Is that money still going to hold the same value it has now? The best answer is No. It’s high time the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress strike a balance.
