The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday said that the voluntary salary cut undertaken by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, would not in any way improve the economy of the country.
The NLC Secretary-General, Peter Eson-Ozo, made this assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“For some individuals to voluntarily decide to cut their salaries, I think it is cosmetic and I believe we should be more systematic than that.” he stated.
Mr. Eson-Ozo noted that the labour movement had for sometime been clamouring for a reduction in the cost of governance, adding that this should not be by cutting salaries.
“I think, to begin with, the law, the constitution, prescribes how public office salaries are fixed; if any public officer chooses to reduce his salary, he can donate it to charity or donate it to whomever.” he added.
“Any person or the president or any other public officer who then arbitrarily gets up and cuts salary when the law does not put the fixing of that salary in his power, creates a legal problem."
He stated that the bulk of what drives the cost of governance high was outside the prescribed salary.
“I think that we need to address things in a systematic way.” The process of fixing salary is an institutionalized one and not up to any individual to do. It was therefore important for the government to focus deeper on ways to reduce the cost of governance rather than the cosmetic announcement of slash in salaries by some public officers.
“Because if you can cut salary, does it mean you can just wake tomorrow and increase salary? These are issues we need to take on board in order for us to have a robust type of approach to the system,” Mr. Eson-Ozo said.
He further urged the Federal Government to begin preparation for the review of the salaries of Nigerian workers.
“Every five years, the minimum wage is supposed to be reviewed and the current wage will be due for replacement by next year."
“It is important for the Federal Government to start the process; preparation should have started before now."
The labour movement had over time reminded government of the provision of the law stipulating a review of the minimum wage every five years he said.
The NLC Secretary-General also warned government against any plan to slash workers salaries, saying that the economic situation in the country was not favourable.
(NAN)
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