LAGOS – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Chapter, has threatened to mobilise workers nationwide for a showdown with the Federal Government over plans to increase the salaries of political office holders without addressing the plight of workers.
Chairperson of the chapter, Comrade Funmi Sesi, who spoke in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Lagos, warned that the NLC would resist any attempt to raise politicians’ pay while leaving workers impoverished by inflation and inadequate wages.
She insisted that government must immediately adopt a holistic harmonization of salaries across political office holders, public sector workers and private sector employees, saying the current disparities were unjust and dangerous.
“We are all in the same country. As they go to the market for purchases, we also go to the same market and buy at the same prices. We also pay for electricity, transportation and other services. If the government wants to increase political office holders’ salaries, then they should also harmonise pay across the board,” she said.
Sesi lamented that some heads of agencies currently earn more than the President, despite the President being the Chief Executive Officer of the country.
“So if some agencies’ leaders are collecting more salary than the President, definitely there should be a holistic approach to harmonization policy on salary payment across board, both for political office holders, workers in the public sector and also those in the private sector,” she stressed.
The NLC leader described the N70,000 minimum wage as grossly inadequate in the face of inflation, adding that workers were being pushed to the brink of survival.
“The wage of the worker is an act of law, and also the wages of political office holders should not be different, nor should it be a total departure from that. They should also be subjected to the same kind of processes that were followed during the negotiation for the worker’s salary. Many sacrifices were made by workers in that process, and political leaders should not exclude themselves,” she stated.
Accusing politicians of double standards, Sesi said leaders had consistently blocked wage improvements for workers while swiftly approving increases for themselves.
“They know they will come back to increase their own salary, yet they stood in the way of a better life and better motivation for the workers.
“The NLC will reject anything that will continue to impoverish the workers while elevating the status of political office holders,” she declared.
She warned that if the government goes ahead with the plan, workers would be left with no choice but to embark on mass action, including strikes and protests, to demand fairness.
“The NLC will not fold its arms while politicians enrich themselves at the expense of workers. If they push ahead, we are ready for a showdown,” Sesi warned.
She urged the Federal Government to pursue a fair and balanced salary policy, saying political leaders must also be prepared to make sacrifices in the collective interest of economic stability and social justice.