By TINA TIMOTHY

The Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has commended the planned salary increase for Lagos workers as announced by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and called on Lagos State workers, public sector unions as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), “to follow up on the verbal pronouncement, as it could be an ordinary political talk for the purpose of securing workers support in the forthcoming general election.”

SPN made this known in a recent statement signed by its Chairperson, Rufus Olusesan, and Secretary, Moshood Osunfurewa.

The statement partly reads: “The Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) welcomes the planned salary increment announced by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while addressing a gathering of workers during a visit to the office of State Head of Service, on October 4.

“According to news reports, Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed that since September, he had instructed, the “Head of Service (HoS), the Commissioner for Establishment, Training, and Pensions to work out modalities for salary increases for the entire over 100,000 public service workforce.

“However, we urge Lagos State workers, public sector unions as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), to follow up on the verbal pronouncement, as it could be an ordinary political talk for the purpose of securing workers support in the forthcoming general election.Indeed, we call on them to demand the involvement of Lagos state Joint Negotiation Committee in working out the said modalities.

“To us, an upward review in wages is long overdue not only in Lagos but nationally.Given the economic hardship, high inflation, and high prices of food stuff, fuel and electricity tariff, ordinary working class families are at the receiving end.This is as a result of anti-poor capitalist policies, something only compounded by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian war on Ukraine.

“Indeed that the Lagos State governor said he was ‘not going to wait for the Federal Government’s minimum wage increase,’ confirms the factthat the current minimum wage, which is still not being implemented bysome statesis due for a national upward review.

“Therefore, we reiterate our call on the NLC and TUC to begin to demand a new national minimum wage while at the same time, fight for the full implementation of the current one by all the state governments. We also call on NLC and TUC to demand reversal of neo-liberal policies (privatization of power, deregulation of the oil sector etc) and resist cuts in social service, education and healthcare underfunding, etc.”

PN on the other hand, condemned the Lagos state government for ‘compounding the economic hardship’ of Lagosians through increased waste disposal bill, transportation, extortion by state taskforce and non-payment of pensioners, amongst others.

“However, we frown at the fact that the same Lagos government that wants to be seen as pro-people with the promise of increase in workers’ salaries is compounding the economic hardship being faced by the ordinary people in the state.

“For instance, it recently increased the monthly refuse disposal bill by 50 per cent and hiked BRT fare. At the same time, the state miscellaneous offence taskforce and its local governments criminally extort ordinary Lagosians on daily basis with obnoxious and outrageous and multiple fines and taxes. Also, many primary school pensioners who work as gatemen at most schools in Lagos State have yet to receive their pension after four years of retirement,” the statement continued.

SPN urged the state workers not to be carried away by the promise of increased salary, adding that it may be for the purpose of wooing support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections.

“Therefore, we call on Lagos state public workers and other ordinary people not to lose guard because of the planned salary increase, which is possibly done in order to woo support for the APC in 2023 elections, but be prepared to resist all anti-poor policies of the APC governments in Lagos and at the federal level,” it added