In the last 30 years, the state of the Nigerian worker has deteriorated considerably.The Nigerian Labour Congress and Civil Societies have continued to decry this ugly trend and have been calling for an upward review of the minimum wage; the latest being the agitation for a N52,000 minimum wage per month as against the current N5,500.
But gladly the newly sworn-in President, Goodluck Jonathan recently made another promise of wage increase.But the labour congress and the federal government are yet to arrive at a compromise on the ideal minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The International Labour Organisation defines a minimum wage as a wage which provides a floor to the wage structure in order to protect workers at the bottom of the wage distribution. Minimum wages are a nearly universal policy instrument applied in more than 90% of ILO member States. However, the level at which minimum wages are set varies between countries, as do the rate and frequency at which they are updated. Between 2001 and 2007 most nations increased their minimum wage by 5.7% .
Prince Kotun who has been involved in the administration of Public Service for several decades and held top posts in the Public Service of the former Western Region and Lagos State of Nigeria and also author of the book the History of Eko Dynasty is of the view that while the move to review the salaries of public servant is a welcome developpment,there should be a concrete salary structure such that salaries are reviewed frequently.
He said government should not wait for workrers to go on strike before salaries are reviewed. Prince kotun who was the Clerk of the first Lagos State House of Assembly and Chief Electoral Officer, Lagos State urged public servants to shun all forms of corruption noting that the call to civil service is a call to serve the nation and not to amass wealth.
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