Following a recent increase in the price of premium motor spirit also known as petrol, pensioners in the South West has turned against the N70,000 minimum wage newly signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
In a communique at the end of their zonal meeting held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, the pensioners, under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Southwest Zone, called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to renew demand for N250,000 minimum wage.
Speaking on the minimum wage, NUP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Dr Olusegun Abatan, said, “The Federal Government took advantage of the naivety and inexperience of Comrade Joe Ajaero, and Festus Usifo, by tricking them into accepting N70,000 and that it would not increase fuel price, but no sooner they agreed to kowtow what was said about N70,000, the Federal Government went ahead to increase fuel price.
“To that extent, the Southwest is rejecting the N70,000 minimum wage that Labour has negotiated and advised that Labour should go back to the negotiating table and insist on the N250,000 they initially wanted.
“Before you know it, the N2,000 that the Federal Government said it was going to increase the fuel price to will eventually emerge. Labour should go back. The value of the N70,000 is just about 60 litres of fuel.
“Labour should go back to negotiate N250,000 minimum wage. They have our backing on whatever is involved even strike to achieve a realistic minimum wage.”
Appealing to the state governments in the remaining Southwest states to implement 33 per cent pension increase and consequential adjustment which was done for workers in the year 2019, the communique noted that “If these 33 per cent increases and consequential adjustments are not implemented before the new minimum pension or minimum wage, all pensioners in the country would be shortchanged. So, we appeal to our governors to do the needful”.
“The salaries of teachers should also go on. The salaries of workers at the local governments should also go on. The allowances of the chiefs and obas should also be taken care of as first-line charges.”
The pensioners however, called on the government at the federal and state levels to be proactive to ensure there would be no crisis from the wholesome implementation of the local government autonomy by ensuring there was no return to the era of zero allocation to the councils after the deduction of salaries and pensions.
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