Group appeals to workers to support FG’s sustainable wage
The Concerned Nigerian Patriots (CNP), has appealed to Nigerian workers to support what the Federal Government and the private sector employers determined to be realistic and sustainable wages.
Alhaji Alfa Mohammed, CNP, a political pressure group Chairman, made the call at a news conference in Abuja, while reacting to the current face-off between the Federal Government and the organised labour, on Tuesday.
He said that the news conference was to address pressing issues that threatens the nation’s economic stability and democratic integrity.
He said calling the country’s workforce to embark on a strike by the organised labour was not the way to address the country’s challenges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that while the Federal Government had proposed #62,000 as a new minimum wage, the organised labour is proposing #250,000.
Mohammed called on Nigerians to support and pray for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s efforts to achieve its lofty goals for the county.
“We call on Nigerians to reject unrealistic wage demands and support what the government and private sector employers determined to be realistic and sustainable wages,”he said.
He also called on the citizens to oppose disruptive strikes and insist on dialogue between the Federal Government and the labour unions, and reject strike actions aimed at destabilising the government.
To address the situation, Muhammed recommended the immediate introduction of policies to reduce inflation, particularly in food, transportation, medical, agriculture, and energy sectors.
He also called for the provision of credit schemes for PMS-CNG conversion and CNG vehicle hire purchase and funding for mechanised farming projects across all states, with a commodity board to manage excess produce.
He advocated the use of intensified technology to address security challenges and exclusive use of locally assembled or manufactured vehicles for government officials.
“We appeal to Nigerians to support and pray for the Tinubu-led administration’s efforts to achieve its lofty goals for the county.
“The recent demands for an unrealistic minimum wage by the coalition of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Labour Party (LP) pose a significant risk of plunging Nigeria into another recession.
”And exacerbating the economic challenges that President Tinubu’s administration has been diligently working to overcome.
“This coalition’s agenda appears to be a deliberate attempt to provoke public unrest and destabilise the government.
“By advocating for a wage increase that is not financially viable, they risk inciting chaos and anarchy, which could undermine our hard-earned democracy,” Mohammed explained.
He recalled that the coalition’s insistence on a minimum wage initially set at ₦605,000, then ₦494,000, and now ₦250,000, was part of a broader strategy to force government into adopting an economically unfeasible policy.
He said such a wage hike would likely lead to severe inflation, increased unemployment, decreased productivity, and greater economic hardship.
Mohammed, therefore, urged Nigerians, especially the diligent workforce, to see through the veil.
He said it was the responsibility of every citizen to support and pray for the success of the Tinubu-led government, not to undermine it.
NAN reports that the organised labour has vowed to reject ₦62,000 or ₦100,000 minimum wage proposal for Nigerian workers by the Federal Government.
The Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Chris Onyeka, described such a proposal as a “starvation wage”.
Onyeka insisted that labour won’t accept the latest government’s offer of ₦62,000, saying that its latest demand as the living wage for an average Nigerian worker remains ₦250,000.
“Our position is very clear, we have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know can take Nigerian workers home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage.
“We have never contemplated ₦100,000, let alone ₦62,000. We are still at ₦250,000, that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation.
“ We are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the marketplace, realities of things we buy every day: a bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.”(https://newsatlarge ng)