The National Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has called the federal government’s 35% increase for civil servants misleading, emphasizing that the minimum wage should not be below N615,000.

In a Wednesday interview with Channels TV, Ajaero stated that the federal government should provide a “living wage” for its workers.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently approved salary hikes of 25% to 35% for civil servants, covering six different consolidated salary structures.

The six salary structures are 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).

Commenting on this on Wednesday, Ajaero said a living wage should cover basic needs without forcing workers into debt or malnutrition. He noted that the President had committed to providing a living wage, which was endorsed by the National Assembly.

Ajaero explained that after presenting a report suggesting N615,000 as a living wage, the government has yet to resume discussions with organized labor.

“The recent announcement seems misleading because there’s no clear wage increase being proposed. This issue worries us at the NLC and even at the TUC,” Ajaero said.

“The last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on April 18. By now, we expected discussions to have progressed, with the National Assembly having legislated on this. But the federal government has not reconvened the meeting that was postponed,” he said.

Public hearings were held across six geopolitical zones, with submissions suggesting a new minimum wage of around N615,000. However, no follow-up meetings have taken place since then.

Ajaero said a living wage is one that allows workers to meet basic needs, suggesting a breakdown of costs for various necessities:

– N40,000 for accommodation

– N20,000 for electricity

– N10,000 for utilities and between N25,000 to N30,000 for fuel (kerosene and gas)

– N270,000 for food (for a family of six over thirty days)

– N50,000 for healthcare and education each

– N10,000 for sanitation

– N110,000 for transportation, given the impact of fuel subsidy removal and workers living on city fringes

Ajaero concluded by stating that these expenses add up to N615,000, suggesting that workers would struggle to save any money after covering these costs.