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Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to holistically harmonise workers’ salaries.
The chairperson, Funmi Sesi, made the call while reacting to the plan by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to increase political office holders’ salaries.
She said there should be harmonisation of the salaries of public office holders, public service workers and private sector workers.
The chairperson, who expressed concern, said that political office holders should not receive higher salaries than other public workers, as both groups contributed to the growth of the economy.
“We are all in the same country. As they go to the market for purchases, we also go to the same market and buy for the same prices, and we also have to pay for services like electricity and transportation.
“If the government is mulling the idea of political office holders’ salary increase, let them also look at the harmonisation of pay.
“So, if some agencies’ leaders are collecting more salary than the president, who is the CEO of the whole country, definitely there should be a holistic approach to harmonisation policy on the salary payment across board, both for political office holders, the workers in the public sector and in the private sector. “We all live together in the same country. The government should not be one sided. You should not look at increasing their own salaries and allowances without also putting into consideration the workers,” she said.
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According to her, the current minimum wage in Nigeria is inadequate, with inflation eroding the value of the N70,000 and workers continue to struggle with low wages. She urged political office holders to make sacrifices, as workers have been doing, to ensure economic stability.
She called for a fair and balanced, equitable approach to salary increases, considering the economic realities and sacrifices made by workers.
“Indeed, the wages of workers are an act of law, and also the wages of the political office holders should not be different, and it should not be a total departure from that as well.
“So, they should also be subjected to the kind of windows and the processes that were followed during the negotiation of the workers’ salaries. They should put so many things into consideration. We should remind them of the sacrifices.
“They know that they will come back to increase their own salary, yet they stand on the way for a better life and a better motivation by way of salary for the workers.
“The NLC will reject anything that will make them continue to impoverish the workers and to continue to elevate their own status.”
