The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has recommended a 50 percent salary review “across the board given the realities on ground.”

The labour union made the recommendation in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dated August 8, the letter was a response to the economic prescriptions offered by State Governors.

As earlier reported, the Governors had pushed for the elimination of petrol subsidy, the retirement of civil servants from the age of 50, and the reduction of National Assembly constituency projects among other prescriptions.

The union lambasted the Governors for seeking early retirement of workers, saying anyone promoting this idea “should be treated as enemies of your government.”

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Instead of early retirement, the union asked the Buhari-led administration to consider a further increase of worker salaries.

“While we commend you for your thoughtfulness for a wage increase, truth of the matter is that given the misfortune that has befallen the Nigerian populace, especially workers with fixed incomes, there is an urgent need for a massive intervention much deeper than the 22 percent,” the letter, signed by NLC President Ayuba Wabba, said.

“We would recommend a 50 percent salary review across the board given the realities on ground.”

NLC Writes Buhari, Rejects Governors’ Call for Mass Retirement of Workers

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to discard the recommendations by state governors on how to halt drift of the economy, including compulsory retirement of civil servants aged 50 years and above from service.

The Congress said that as part of efforts to revamp the economy, Buhari should direct the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and make public how the governors diverted and misused funds allocated the states with a view to ensuring full recovery.

In a letter addressed to President Buhari and signed by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, the Congress said that it found most of the suggestions by the governors distasteful and repugnant.

In the letter titled ‘Reviving the Economy: Our Response to Governors Prescriptions’, the NLC said though it agrees that the economy is in need of revitalisation, it felt disappointed with some of the prescriptions of the governors as they smack of “extreme selfishness and insensate cruelty”.

NLC said that the governors had proposed amongst others, the elimination of PMS subsidy/under-recovery estimated at N6-7 trillion, early retirement of civil servants from age 50 and above, the implementation of the reviewed Oronsaye Report, putting an end to financing government’s budgetary expenditures, converting its N19 trillion debt into a 100-year bond.