President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increase across-section of federal workers under certain consolidated categories.
Tinubu announced the salary increase ahead of the submission of the report of the 37-member tripartite committee on national minimum wage, led by Bukar Goni Aji, a former Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCS), which was inaugurated in January this year.
According to a statement, signed by the Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku, the increases take effect from 1st January 2024.
The Federal Government has also approved increases In pension of between 20% and 28% for pensioners on the Defined Benefits Scheme with respect to the above-mentioned six consolidated salary structures with effect from January 1, 2024.
The Salary Structure is the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS) and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).
Those in the Tertiary Education and Health Sectors had already received their increases which involved Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) for universities.
For Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, it involved the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS).
The Health Sector also benefitted through the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that been advocating for an increase in workers’ salaries as a result of inflation said the announcement was “a waste of time.”
Daily Trust reports the NLC Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, saying that commission does not have powers to fix national minimum wage.
“What they pretend to have done is a waste of time. It does not amount to anything for us and those in the federal civil service,” Onyeka said.
He did not make further comments on the matter despite prodding by our reporter. Other senior officials of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) could not be reached up to press time last night.
