“It is not salary increase and not a minimum wage. What was done was to address the disparity within the core civil service.”

AGAINST the widely reported increase in the salary of Nigerian workers as from July 1 by the Federal Government, Nigerian Tribune can reveal that there is no increase yet in the salary of workers.


Top Nigerian media, including the Federal Government-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), had reported that workers would begin to enjoy new salary increase or minimum wage as from July 1, quoting from the Democracy Day speech of the president.


But Nigerian Tribune can authoritatively say that the report was due to lack of understanding of the issues involved, particularly the issue of minimum wage, salary increase and pay relativity in the public service.


According to President Jonathan, the Federal Government had only resolved the issue of relativity in the public service, which has resulted in distortion in the salaries of different cadres in the civil service and public service.


The president said that the distortions in pay relativity in the public service had been addressed and based on this, the new salary scale would take effect from July 1, 2010.


The Chairman of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Comrade Olakunle Olaitan, who led the struggle for the actualisation of the pay relativity, told the Nigerian Tribune when asked to react to the issue on Sunday that: “It is not salary increase and not a minimum wage increase. What was done was to address the disparity within the core civil service.”


The president had said in his Democracy Day speech: “Finally, this Democracy Day celebration will not be complete if I do not touch on workers' welfare. It is well known that this administration has never abdicated its responsibility to the Nigerian worker.


“Indeed, we support the right of every worker to earn a living wage for addressing basic necessities of life. You will recall that at the last May Day celebration, we assured workers that we will address the problems of distortions in pay relativity in the public service. This has now been resolved positively. The new salary scale shall take effect from July 1, 2010.


“Also, in our resolve to address the housing challenge of civil servants, government has approved the release of the sum of N10 billion to the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB) for onward disbursement to eligible civil servants as loans, to enable them to own their own houses.


“Let me therefore charge workers to reciprocate Government's gesture by increasing their productivity levels and shunning acts capable of undermining the development agenda of government, knowing full well that they are drivers of the administration's policies. Their conduct and productivity shall henceforth be guided by performance management and the operational guidelines that are expected to be concluded not later than December 31, 2010.”


Following the review of the salary of some political office holders and public officers some years ago, the core civil service was badly affected and the development resulted in disparity in the salary of the different cadres in the civil servants.


Currently, while the monthly salary of the Permanent Secretary in the civil service is over N1.3 million, the director who is next to the Permanent Secretary receives N140, 000 per month.


The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), comprising the eight trade unions in the civil/public service had engaged the Federal Government on the issue for over two years and threatened to resort to a strike on several occasions before the final intervention of President Jonathan.


However, the issue of minimum wage and wage increase is still being handled by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the two labour centres had demanded a minimum wage of N52, 200.


The issue of wage increase had been referred to the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee on Minimum Wage, and the TUC president, Comrade Peter Esele, revealed on May Day (Workers’ Day) that both labour and government representatives on that committee had agreed on N18, 000 minimum wage from the present N5, 500 per month.


The Belgore Committee was said to have concluded its work, but the issue had to be referred to the National Assembly for legislation before it could become effective and implementable.


When the Nigerian Tribune called on the Chairman of JNPSNC, Comrade Olaitan, on Sunday to seek his comment, he stated that before now, there existed a wide gap in the salaries being received by permanent secretaries and those next in rank, the directors.


He explained that in 2008, the JNPSNC presented a memo to the government to the effect that the wide gap should be bridged, adding that they did this to protect the civil service and guard against unnecessary crisis and agitation between the permanent secretaries and the directors.


Comrade Olaitan, who had led all the negotiations with the government on the issue said: “We are not saying that what the permanent secretary is currently being paid is outrageous but we have in the core civil service today the permanent secretaries which we can liken to our generals in the military.


“We look up to them and believe that the salary relativity should be harmonised so there will be industrial peace in the service. We thank God Almighty for the president who acceded to our request, what has been negotiated with the JNPSNC. The gap has been substantially bridged to the satisfaction of all.


“Along the line, the distortion has been affecting all the cadres from level 1 to level 17. Now all the areas, from level 1 to level 17 were actually touched and harmonised.


“It is not salary increase and not a minimum wage. What was done was to address the disparity within the core civil service.”