President Tinubu approved N35,000 pay award for FG employees.
President Bola Tinubu has approved N35,000 as a six-month provisional pay award for all Treasury-paid federal government employees. Malam Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, made the announcement in Abuja on Sunday.
He stated that this was the result of meetings at the Presidential Villa between the federal administration and labour union representatives. At the conference, the Federal Government also vowed to expedite the deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to alleviate the strain on public transport caused by the termination of PMS subsidies.
The Federal Government has also committed to providing cash for micro and small-scale businesses, as well as VAT exemptions on diesel for the next six months. It also announced a payout of N75,000 to 15 million households at a monthly rate of N25,000 from October to December.
The highlights of the meeting’s decision include:
The Federal Government asked labour unions not to go on strike since the issues at stake can only be handled while workers are at work.
Labour unions argued for a greater wage award.
A subcommittee will be formed to hammer out the details of the implementation of all issues pertaining to government interventions to mitigate the impact of the termination of gasoline subsidies.
The issue of the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State shall be resolved as soon as possible.
The NLC and TUC will explore the Federal Government’s offers in order to postpone the planned strike to allow for further consultations on the execution of the agreed resolutions.
Gov. Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun took part virtually in the meeting, which was presided over by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation; Simon Lalong, Minister of Labour and Employment; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State, Labour; and Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, were also present.
Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment; Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Federation Head of Service; and Malam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA).
The labour delegation was led by NLC President Joe Ajaero, TUC Deputy President Dr Tommy Okon, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja, and TUC General Secretary Nuhu Toro.