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Showdown In Floundering Nigeria: Workers To Go On Strike Across 36 States Over Minimum Wage

All efforts by the trade union side to persuade the government side to return to the right track of negotiation and agree on a realistic percentage increase proved abortive.

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Nigeria's labour union says civil servants in all 36 states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja should be prepared to go on a strike.

This is in preparation for a likely failure to reach an amicable conclusion regarding negotiation on the adjustment of the new national minimum wage.  

The Trade Union side of the Joint National Public Service Negotiation Council (JNPSNC) after a meeting also reviewed downward its demands from 66.66 percent to 30 percent for officers on grade levels 07-14 and 25 percent for officers on grade levels 15-17.

However, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is said to be insisting on 9.5 percent salary adjustment for officers on grade levels 07-14 and 5 percent for those on grade levels 15-17.

“Surprisingly, when the technical sub-committee reconvened, the government side introduced a strange clause to the discussion insisting that the term of reference of the committee was to work out the consequential adjustment of salaries of public servants based on the subhead provided for salaries in the 2019 budget.

“All efforts by the trade union side to persuade the government side to return to the right track of negotiation and agree on a realistic percentage increase proved abortive.

“Thus, the government side deliberately created a stalemate and thereafter adjoined the meeting of the technical committee sine die," the workers said in a communiqué jointly signed by the acting Chairman and Secretary, Comrades Anchaver Simon and Alade Bashir Lawal.  

It added: “The trade union side of JNPSNC has now resolved that the federal government should reconvene the meeting of the technical committee on consequential adjustment immediately so that it can conclude its deliberations and ensure that all public service employees benefit adequately from the N30,000 new monthly national minimum wage signed into law by Mr. President since April 2019.”