The Organised Labour in Nigeria says it condemns and rejects plans to slash the salaries of Nigerian workers.
In a statement on Wednesday, the organised labour said it was with huge shock that it read the statement credited to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, who said that the Federal Government was working to reduce the high cost of governance by cutting down on the salaries of Nigerian workers.
Labour said it is almost unthinkable that the government would be contemplating unilaterally slash the salaries of Nigerian workers at this time when the meagre national minimum wage of N30000 is yet to be implemented by18 states.
Labour noted that it is public knowledge that the multiple devaluations of the Naira in a very short time and the prevailing high inflation rate in Nigeria has knocked out the salaries earned by Nigerian workers and therefore the call for salary slash by Zainab Ahmed is tantamount to a “mass suicide” wish for Nigerian workers.
It noted that It is most uncharitable, most insensitive, most dehumanizing, and most barbaric as Nigerian workers demand an immediate retraction and apology by the Minister of Finance, while it calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Minister of Finance to order now before she sets Nigeria on fire with her careless statements.
Labour reminded that If there is any salary that needs serious slashing it is the humungous remuneration and allowances pocketed by political office holders in Nigeria who do very little but collect so much.
The Organised labour hinted further that Nigerian workers demand an increase in their remunerations and allowances already.
The Minister of Finance was reported to have mentioned plans to slash salaries in Abuja at a policy dialogue on corruption and cost of governance in Nigeria organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
The Minister of Finance was also reported to have directed the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC, to immediately review the salaries of civil servants as well as the number of federal agencies in the country, for a possible merger.