The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to pay N35,000 as March and April wage award to workers.
The congress said public workers had not received their March and April pay, despite an agreement with the Federal Government on the payment.
TUC President Festus Osifo said this while addressing reporters yesterday at the end of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu had approved the payment of N35,000 wage award to Federal workers, following the removal of fuel subsidy.
The government agreed to pay the money to civil servants for six months.
Osifo urged the government to continue to the payment until a new National Minimum Wage would be negotiated.
The TUC president hailed states that have been consistent in paying their workers the wage and lambasted those defaulting.
He said: “NEC-in-session discussed the issue of Minimum Wage. We insist that the only way to reflate your economy is when people have money to purchase items. When people lack purchasing power, the effect is that manufacturers will produce and keep (the products) on the shelf. So, the Minimum Wage Committee should hasten up to unveil a new minimum wage.
“…The last wage award paid to workers was in February 2024. That of March and April 2024 has not been paid as we speak. We call on the government to release it so that when salary is coming in, the wage award should be paid too.
“While a number of states have been up and doing in terms of remitting the wage award, states like Benue has been lagging behind on workers’ welfare; Anambra is also culpable in this payment. We thought that since it is one state being led by an economist (Charles Soludo), he should be able to put on his thinking cap. Imo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Kebbi and Katsina states are equally lagging behind”.
On the inability of the Port Harcourt Refinery to start operations by outgoing month, as promised by the Federal Government, Osifo said the development contributed to the resurgence of fuel queues in some parts of the country.
The TUC president urged the government to hasten up the processes for the operationalising the refinery to lessen the economic hardship among Nigerians.
He said: “Sometime last year, TUC made a visit to Port Harcourt Refinery and the government told us that by April the refinery would start production. But till date, nothing is working there. We urge the government to do everything possible to make it operational”.
Also, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has assured Nigerians, especially residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that it was doing everything possible to address a resurgence of fuel scarcity.
Its Chief Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, said that there was no need for Nigerians to panic over the situation.
“There is no cause for alarm. There is no issue with pricing. What happened is issue with logistics with some of our trucks, but the issue has been resolved.
“You know when you miss one day, it takes about three days to clear. So, it has been cleared. Hopefully by Saturday everything will be okay”, he said.
