N35,000 Wage Award: ‘We’re Not Beggars, Yet You’ve Cheated, Betrayed Us’ – Workers to FG

Civil servants under the aegis of Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has raised an alarm that the Federal Government has halted the N35,000 wage award given to workers to cushion the effects of the economic crisis occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal....CONTINUE READING

The workers, on Thursday, alleged that the Federal Government paid only one month out of the six months promised to the workers.

Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator of FWF, in a statement noted that the workers are passing through tortuous moments since the removal of fuel subsidy.

While lamenting that the minimum wage has remained at N30,000 monthly, he decried that a bag of rice is now above N60,000.

FWF said: “Federal Government workers nationwide have been going through tortuous moments since the removal of petroleum subsidy. Our take home pay has been made meaningless as a result of the rising cost of living crisis and the constant devaluation of our naira. Salaries have remained the same while prices of goods and services have tripled within this period.

“We are surprised to note that the meager 35,000 naira wage award grudgingly given to the federal workers by the federal government to cushion the effects of the economic crisis caused by the subsidy removal have been stopped. The federal government paid only one month out of the six months promised.

“We the federal government workers feel betrayed by the federal government. Our employer has been very unfair and unfaithful to us. We have not been treated as if we matter. We are citizens, we are not beggars and we are supposed to be worthy of a fair wage. We the federal workers feel cheated.

“Civil servants have been financially embarrassed. Minimum wage has remained at 30,000 naira monthly while prices of everything continue to soar and a bag of rice now is above 60,000 naira.

“Most unfortunately, it is within this period that salaries are been delayed, some workers are being blocked from receiving salaries, promotion arrears not paid, etc.”