Rising inflation and fuel costs are continuing to squeeze Nigerian workers, with the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria saying the country’s reported economic growth has yet to improve their living standards.
ASCSN President, Shehu Mohammed, raised the concerns in Lagos at the association’s South-West zonal workshop, themed “A shift from confrontation to collaboration”.
Mohammed said the N70,000 minimum wage had already lost value to inflation and called for preparations to begin ahead of negotiations for a new wage.
“By next year, we are going into negotiations for a new minimum wage. So, any moment from now, in the pre-negotiation session, we need to kick-start the process so we have our data across the table and can negotiate a better minimum wage for Nigerian workers”.
Reacting to the latest GDP figures, he said the reported growth had not translated into better living conditions for workers.
“The reported growth is not reflected on the living condition of the Nigerians especially workers. We are the engine room of the economy. We lubricate the economy but it is very unfortunate that what we are facing today is that we are lubricating, but we are drying”.
Mohammed said inflation had continued to erode the purchasing power of workers since the minimum wage was introduced.
“As I said earlier, even before the full implementation of the minimum wage, the rate of inflation had already taken away the value of the N70,000 minimum wage. It is not even about what is happening now; this is what we have experienced in the two to three years of implementation of the minimum wage”.
He maintained that improving workers’ economic wellbeing would benefit the wider economy.
“Civil servants are really the ones suffering because when you empower civil servants economically, then the nation will have a change of movement. When civil servants are deprived of a befitting minimum wage and economic empowerment, then definitely, the economy of the country will also suffer”.
On petrol prices, Mohammed attributed the increase to the removal of subsidy and the reliance on international market rates.
“It is the other side of subsidy removal. Upon the removal of subsidy, that means you are going to buy fuel at international market rates, despite the fact that we have refineries that are not functioning. So, that has caused fuel prices to escalate to this level of over N1, 000″.
Meanwhile, immediate past PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, has urged employers in the oil and gas industry to ensure workers’ remuneration reflects prevailing inflation.
Osifo, who is also President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, made the call at a reception organised by the TotalEnergies E&P branch of PENGASSAN to mark his six-year tenure.
He stressed the importance of protecting jobs and improving workers’ welfare as the sector responds to changing economic conditions.
