On the NLC strike action

It is no longer news that the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have been battling with the issue of the new minimum wage which has generated a lot of controversy among Nigerians and most especially the civil service. Recently, the tripartite committee set up by government in which labour was represented made a proposal that N30, 000 will be paid to the civil servants as minimum wage.

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We all agree that these are not the best of times for our civil servants. The inflation rate at which our currency operates has been one of the most formidable enemies crippling the purchasing power of the earnings of our civil servants. Despite the stipend that these workers are paid, in many states across our country they are owed salaries which run into several months. We will continue to talk about the non-payment of salaries by the government until this issue is resolved. Today, sadly enough, labour across the length and breadth of the nation has embarked on an indefinite strike action. This is not in the interest of our national wellbeing and something must be done quickly to address this.

We must see to the welfare of our civil servants. This is critical to our growth. Developed nations across the world periodically see to the welfare of their working class. We must not toy with this.

Joshua Olagundoye, [email protected]