Minimum wage: We’re hopeful of better living standard – Federal workers in Oyo

Federal civil servants in Oyo State have expressed hope of a better living standard, following the N70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.

A cross-section of the workers, who spoke with the newsmen in Ibadan on Friday, lauded the leadership of organised labour and the president for the amicable resolution of the minimum wage issue.

One of the civil servants, Mr. John Olawale, said that the N70,000 minimum wage was reasonable enough to enhance the living conditions of an average civil servant.

According to Olawale, the new minimum wage, which is a little over 100 percent higher than the old one, was a good bargain.

“Though the inflation rate is high, nevertheless, the new minimum wage will still go a long way in improving the workers’ living standards,” he said.

Olawale, however, urged the federal government to do more in the area of providing a conducive work environment for its workforce.

On her part, Mrs. Caroline Ijebah said that the new minimum wage would better the lives of workers, though she called on the government to address the skyrocketing prices of food and other commodities.

Ijebah expressed the fear that the high inflation rate might make the N70,000 minimum wage worthless if something urgent was not done to address it.

Alhaji Bashir Adekunle, who welcomed the new minimum wage, equally appealed to the federal government to pay the outstanding three-month wage award without delay.

Adekunle urged the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to put pressure on the government to ensure payment of the wage award arrears.

He also urged them to be vigilant to ensure that no state government sacked any worker as a result of the payment of the new minimum wage.

To Wale Ogundoro, paying the minimum wage of N70,000 to workers might not have much impact on their living conditions if the inflation rate continued to rise.

Ogundoro urged the government to do everything possible to reduce the inflation rate and ensure that all the nation’s refineries were working so as to end the high cost of petroleum products.

According to him, the high cost of petroleum products is a major contributory factor to the increase in the prices of food and other items.