….As NLC Flaws Exercise
The Federal Government has approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent of salary increase for civil servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures.
The Head of Press Unit of National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Mr. Emmanuel Njoku, in a statement on Tuesday confirmed the increment across all cadres of the civil servants this on Tuesday in Abuja.
He stated: “The Federal Government has approved an increase of between 25 per cent and 35 per cent in salary increase for Civil Servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures.
“They include Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure, CONPSS, Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure, CONRAISS, and Consolidated Police Salary Structure, CONPOSS.
“Others are: Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure, CONPASS, Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure, CONICCS, and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure, CONAFSS.
“The increases will take effect from January 1”, Njoku added
In addition, he disclosed that the government also approved increases in pension of between 20 per cent and 28 per cent for pensioners on the Defined Benefits Scheme, adding that this is in respect of the above-mentioned six consolidated salary structures and would also take effect from January 1.
According to the commission’s spokesman, the move is in line with the provisions of Section 173 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
He recalled that those in the Tertiary Education and Health Sectors had already received their increases.
Njoku further clarified: “This involves Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, CONUASS, and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure, CONTISS, for universities.
“For Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, it involves the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure, CONPCASS, and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure, CONTEDISS.
“The Health Sector also benefitted through the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure, CONHESS”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the salary adjustment exercise, claiming that the increases do not reflect the realities of the economy and, therefore, mischievous.
The NLC President said: “The announcement appears mischievous because there is no wage increment that government is announcing.”
He argued that the timing of the announcement was particularly worrisome given that the previous minimum wage agreement had just expired.
Ajaero, who expressed his view on the salary adjustments in an interview on Channels Television’s “Sunrise Daily” on Wednesday, on the occasion celebrating the 2024 Workers’ Day celebrations, maintained that “for them to announce it now, it is an issue that we are worried about at the NLC and even at the TUC.”
