Labour leaders under the auspices of the Trade Union of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) have pledged to raise the bar in pursuing enhanced welfare package for employees in the Public Service of the Federation.
Giving the assurance in a statement issued in Abuja, the newly elected Chairman of the Trade Union Side of the JNPSNC, Comrade Abdrafiu Alani Adeniji, regretted that the Federal and State Governments appeared not to be giving requisite attention to matters of welfare affecting millions of workers in the Public Service of the Federation.
Reflecting on the current stalemate in respect of the on-going negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage in the country, the labour leader stated that lack of Government commitment towards the welfare of Public Service employees was the main reason why the Government attempted to stall the negotiation which prompted the Trade Unions to issue a 14-day ultimatum on the matter.
“It is sad that in spite of the poverty ravaging the country due to meagre wage and consequent low purchasing powers of workers, Government is not disposed to treating the on-going negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage with the urgency it deserves.
“We, therefore, use this opportunity to pledge the support of the Trade Union Side of JNPSNC to the leadership of NLC and TUC and praise them for their effort in pursuing the on-going negotiation of a new salary regime for Nigerian workers,” the union stated.
According to the labour leader, if the new National Minimum Wage, which must be a living wage, is approved and the Federal and 36 State Governments implement same immediately, the purchasing powers of millions of workers would be beefed up and simultaneously stimulate the economy.
The Unions that constitute the Trade Union Side of the JNPSNC are: Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN); Nigeria Union of Public Service Reportorial, Secretarial Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW); Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU); Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
Others are National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM); Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); Agriculture and Allied Workers Union of Nigeria (AAWUM); and National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Product Workers (NUPPPPROW).