The Nigerian Workers Group (NWG) has called on the Federal government to cut down on the number of hours civil servants spend at work.
The call by the group followed the recent approval of N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers by President Bola Tinubu.
While speaking in Ilorin, Kwara State’s capital city on Monday, July 22, 2024, Kayode Ehindero, the group’s president said, that the new minimum wage is not ideal for eight hours of work.
According to him, approving a work-hour cut will allow civil servants to utilise their time to pursue other ventures that would help augment their finances, meet their economic needs and alleviate the burden of inflation.
Also expressing the group’s disappointment in the approval of N70,000 as the new minimum wage, Ehindero urged the labour leaders to ensure they go back to the drawing board for better working hours for civil servants.
Ehindero ‘s words, “NWG is disappointed over the newly announced minimum wage of N70,000 by President Bola Tinubu.
“This amount is inadequate and fails to meet the basic needs of the Nigerian working class, we call on the Presidents of Labour Centers and Labour Unions to shift their focus from merely increasing wages to reducing working hours.”
N70,000 minimum wage for four hours
Speaking further Ehindero said the current minimum wage approved for civil servants should be paid for fours of productive work.
He said, “The new minimum wage should be paid for 4 hours of productive work, not the standard eight hours.”
The group’s leader emphasied that Nigerian workers deserve a better deal and the government needs to prioritise their welfare.
Ehindero urged the government and labour leaders to reconsider the approach and work together to improve the livelihood of Nigerian workers.
