The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the proposed N70,000 monthly allowance for workers, calling on the Federal Government to approve a substantial salary increase to address the prevailing economic hardship.
The position was contained in a statement jointly issued by the TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, and its Secretary-General, Comrade Nuhu Toro.
Osifo urged the Federal Government to set the minimum pay for the lowest-paid Nigerian worker at N300,000 to cushion the effects of rising food prices, transportation costs and other economic pressures.
He noted that several state governments had already taken steps to increase their minimum wages above N100,000.
The TUC president, however, expressed concern that more than 80 per cent of states and employers in the informal sector had failed to implement previous wage awards.
He stressed that the economic hardship affecting workers was not limited to federal civil servants but also extended to state and local government employees and pensioners.
Osifo therefore called on governments at all levels to ensure the prompt payment of salaries and pensions to ease workers’ financial difficulties.
RN
