The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has revealed that there is a need to improve the conditions of service for civil servants in the country.
This was revealed by NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, during a visit to the office of the head of the civil service of the federation, in Abuja on Thursday.
The visit was part of activities to mark the 2021 World Day for Decent Work (WDDW).
Wabba urged the federal government to look into reviewing the current minimum wage, adding that the prices of goods have increased.
He also said the issue of maltreatment of workers, under whatever guise, should be discouraged.
According to him, “We demand an immediate end to all forms of employment that offend human dignity and deny workers access to living wages, social protection and denial of right to forms union,” he said.
”We ask employers of labour to respect the law and where the law is observed in breach, the ministry of labour and the other agencies of government should enforce the law.
“Today is a day set aside globally to mark the World Decent Work Day. It’s a day to recognise the contribution of workers to the growth of the economy, peace and development, and importantly, the prosperity of every country.
“Workers create the wealth of the world, and therefore in Nigeria, we create the wealth and if we create the wealth, it goes to say that workers must also be well taken care of.
“The challenge that is ravaging the world today, in fact, the effect is more felt by the workers, because as we speak, the purchasing power of workers has been reduced to nothing.
“N30,000 cannot buy a bag of rice, and we know how the cost of goods or services have gone up. In fact, the worst is that when you retire, you have to struggle to get your benefits.
“Workers must work with dignity; workers must have social security; workers must have adequate remuneration, and today, all of us are aware that civil servants are the least paid in Nigeria when you compare to all other sectors.”
Wabba, who said workers put in their best to serve the economy but do not get paid well, added that “this cannot continue and that is something that needs to be reviewed”.
He also advised the federal government to ensure that retirees are treated with respect and paid their gratuities on time.
