Staff Writer
The new minimum salary of N200,000 per month was demanded by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, or TUC.
In order to create a favorable environment for negotiations, it also demanded that the government reinstate the former N185 per litre pump price for gasoline.
Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, the TUC’s President and Secretary General, said in a statement: “For immediate implementation: Status quo ante of PMS pump pricing should be maintained while discussion proceeds. Before the end of June 2023, the minimum salary should be raised from the current N30,000 to N200,000, with corresponding COLA adjustments for things like housing, transportation, and food.
“A state governors’ representative will sign this communiqué, and all governors must agree to enact the new minimum wage.
Employees in the public and private sectors who make less than N200,000 ($500 USD) per month, whichever is higher, are exempt from paying taxes. For people making between N200,000 and N500,000, or 500 USD to 1,200 USD, whichever is larger, a PMS allowance will be implemented.
“For the following ten years, the country’s retail exchange rate for PMS must not fluctuate by more than 2%; in cases where it does, the minimum wage will automatically rise by the same percentage.
“Establishment of an intervention fund, into which the government will pay N10 per litre for all locally used PMS. This fund’s main goal is to address long-standing, widespread national concerns related to housing, health care, and education. To oversee the execution, a governance structure made up of the government, civil society, and labor will be put in place.
“All societal groups should have access to mass transit vehicles, according to the federal government. To ease the burden on workers and students, state governments should promptly build up a subsidized transit system. We’ll figure out the structure for this.Review the National Health Insurance Scheme right away to expand coverage and stop medicine stockpiling.
“Visiting the refineries that are undergoing rehabilitation in order to determine the status of the work and establish a deadline for completion.
The National Labor Advisory Council, or NLAC, should be quickly established, according to the president. The government, labor, and employers will use this forum to debate concerns and government policies that may affect workers as well as other legal requirements.
“Providing a direct subsidy for food goods with $800 million could be a starting point. Genuine workers should be able to utilize the National Housing Fund, or NHF, but first the framework needs to be addressed and agreed upon.
The medium-term plan, according to TUC, will also see the distribution of compressed natural gas (CNG) throughout the nation, as the government had earlier promised. Both parties will establish and agree upon the framework and schedule.
“Labor and the government should develop a framework that is focused on lowering the cost of governance by 15% in 2024 and by 30% in 2025.
“A framework should be established right once to develop the rail network nationwide and maintain the nation’s roadways. Government must develop a framework for a rent-to-own social housing strategy for employees.
“The country’s electricity situation needs to be evaluated, and a plan of action with deadlines for fixing it should be established.”
