Labour unions have condemned the recent hile in politicians’ salaries by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission, RMFAC.
Speaking on the matter, a Vice-President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, said, “The increment is such that will provoke Nigerians seeing as Nigerians are already groaning under the effect of the subsidy removal among others. The TUC has always called for a reduction in the cost of governance. However, if they still go ahead with it, we are going to use that opportunity to table more allowances for the Nigerian people.”
On its part, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics described the proposed 114 per cent pay rise for elected politicians as provocative and insensitive.
The National President of the union, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja, said, “ The report is provocative and insensitive. It is difficult to see the rationale behind such a move by the government in a country where the working class has been groaning under severe economic pains.
“While the staff unions in the tertiary education sector have been negotiating a wage increase with the government since 2017 and the government showing a lack of commitment to the process, the same government is busy awarding themselves such pay rise.
“The citizens are still suffering from the impact of the removal of subsidy on PMS, increase in electricity tariff and the attendant implications on their wellbeing only to see such “reward” which can only encourage opulence and oppression by the political class.
“It is an affront to Labour as the Labour movement is still trying to come to terms with the reality of the economic situation in the country and negotiating some palliatives from the same government. It is disappointing.”
Meanwhile, the organized Labour will again meet with the representative of the Federal Government on Monday, it is learnt.
The meeting, according to information gathered by our correspondent, is a follow-up meeting to the one held on Monday.
A TUC Vice-President , Etim disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.
The June 19 meeting was the fourth in a series of negotiations between the Federal Government and the organised labour since the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on May 29.
Speaking with our correspondent in Abuja, the labour leader said, “We have another meeting on Monday and it is a continuation of the former meeting. During our last meeting, the special adviser to the president on energy unveiled a roadmap but the terms of reference were not unveiled. So labour asked that it be shared so that we can also put in our inputs. We will also send a list of our members who will form part of the subcommittees of the main steering committee.”
