By Milcah Tanimu

In a recent development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rebuffed the proposed salary increase put forth by the Bola Tinubu-led administration on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

According to Politics Nigeria, the federal government had endorsed a salary increment ranging between 25 and 35 percent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures. This announcement came on the eve of May Day, a globally observed occasion to honor the contributions and achievements of the labor force.

The timing coincided with the imminent submission of the report by the 37-member tripartite committee on the national minimum wage, headed by Bukar Goni Aji, a former Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCS), which had been inaugurated in January of the same year.

Emmanuel Njoku, the Head of Press at the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), conveyed that these raises were effective from January 1, 2024.

However, Chris Onyeka, the assistant general secretary of the NLC, dismissed the announcement as futile, asserting that the NSIWC lacked the authority to determine the national minimum wage.

“What they claim to have achieved is meaningless. It holds no significance for us or those in the federal civil service,” Onyeka emphasized.

The NLC stands firm on its demand for a minimum wage of N615,000 for workers across the nation, signaling a call for renewed negotiations.