The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called for an upward review of local government workers’ salary by 300 per cent to cushion the resultant effects of fuel subsidy removal in the country.
In the same vein, the union also called for a single institution to fix the salaries of workers and those of the political office holders to ensure parity in line with the single market system operating across the country.
The National President of NULGE, Comrade Olatunji Ambali, spoke on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti during the inauguration of the union’s Hotels and Suites. He said there was need for urgent implementation of the Stephen Orosanye panel’s report to save cost of governance.
Ambali said all Nigerians, including the political office holders, should be ready to make sacrifices.
“I believe the government should review the Orosanye Report and restructure the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) so that at the end of the day we cut down the cost of governance. Not only that. The retinue of aids should be cut down and the salaries and wages of the political office holders should be reviewed downwards.
“We operate within the same market system in the country. There is no reason to have two bodies fixing wages and salaries. Labour is of the opinion that we should either put the task on the Salaries and Wages Commission or allow the Revenue and Fiscal Commission to take up the responsibility so that there will be parity in salaries and the same instrument will be used to fix salaries.
“That is the way to go. It is time to make available palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal. We are shocked that after one month of the removal, nothing has been done by the Federal Government.
“We are confident that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu knows what he is doing. But delay could be dangerous. It is time for him to sit down and address that.
“Salaries of workers should be immediately reviewed upwards because it would rub off on the market people and other informal sectors. We demand that the salary of workers be increased by 300 per cent to cushion the effect of the pain we are going through,” he said.
The President of Ekiti State chapter of the union, Babatunde Olatunde, expressed confidence in Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration to offset the three-month salary arrears of local government workers.
“We are not where we used to be in Ekiti. Before Oyebanji came to power, the state government was owing us as many as five months’ salary arrears and seven months’ deduction.
“But today, we are only left with three months’ arrears of salaries and two months’ deductions. It takes commitment to do what he (governor) has done and we are sure that he will defray the remaining in no distant time.”
