President Bola Tinubu has responded to the rejection of his initial offer by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) by raising the temporary allowance for treasury-paid Federal Government workers.
The allowance has been increased from N25,000 to N35,000, aiming to ease the financial burden brought about by the removal of subsidy on premium motor spirit.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced this on Sunday night after the government’s meeting with the unions failed to yield desired outcome.
The allowance, which will be paid for six months, comes as the federal government seeks to find common ground with the labour unions to prevent strike action.
President Tinubu pledged to resolve demands of the labour unions while urging workers to remain at their posts.
Among commitments made by the Tinubu administration were the fast-tracking of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus provision to enhance public transportation in response to the removal of subsidies on PMS (Premium Motor Spirit).
The information minister revealed that the NLC and TUC have agreed to consider the offers made by the federal government and potentially suspend their planned strike to allow for further consultations.
“A sub-committee will be constituted to work out the details of implementation of all items for consideration regarding government interventions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
“NLC and TUC will consider the offers by the Federal Government with a view to suspending the planned strike to allow for further consultations on the implementation of the resolutions above,” said Idris.
