Workers forum demand subsidy return, arrears payment

The Federal Workers Forum has called on the Federal Government to return fuel subsidy and introduce a permanent Cost-of-Living Allowance for federal workers to cushion the impact of rising prices of goods and services.

The demands were contained in the “Federal Workers Charter of Demands: A Manifesto for Social Transformation,” signed by the Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, on Monday, which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja.

The forum demanded the “introduction of continuous and permanent Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) subject to the existential economic realities of the day.”

It also called for “the return of fuel subsidy to reduce the cost of living crisis in Nigeria,” alongside a price-control mechanism for goods and services and “a deliberate move to revalue the naira.”

The workers expressed concern over the rising prices of goods and services, particularly cement, urging the Federal Government to intervene through local production.

They called for the government to “go into mass production of some of the basic needs of the citizenry” to promote “massive employment and massive industrialisation.”

The forum also demanded the immediate implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and payment of outstanding balances since the implementation of the new minimum wage.

According to the charter, the government should ensure the “immediate implementation of the 40% peculiar allowance and balance payment since the July 2024 implementation of the new minimum wage.”

The workers equally demanded the “full implementation of the new minimum wage consequential adjustment and the subsequent payment of the arrears from July 2024.”

On welfare, the forum called for the introduction of a Family Support Allowance for federal workers, describing it as part of measures needed to improve workers’ welfare amid the economic hardship.

It also demanded “the payment of all outstanding salaries and other arrears, especially promotion arrears owed to federal workers” as well as the harmonisation of salaries and pensions in the Federal Public Service.

The forum called for an end to stagnation in the public service and the declaration of vacancies for promotion, particularly in the Federal Ministry of Education, which it described as “notorious for the stagnation of workers in the directorate cadre.”

It further demanded comprehensive health insurance programmes for federal workers and pensioners, as well as an end to what it described as “heavy taxation and the taxation of federal workers’ allowances.”

The charter also called for the yearly issuance of tax certificates and payment of tax reliefs and rebates, alongside car and reasonable housing loan schemes for federal workers.

On pensions, the workers demanded the “standardisation of pensions and the settlement of arrears owed to retired federal workers.”

The forum also broadened its demands to social welfare, calling for “social equality, the bridging of the excessive gaps between the rich and the poor and a comprehensive social security programme for Nigerians.”

It proposed the payment of social security allowances to unemployed and underemployed Nigerians.

The workers further demanded free medical care for children, pregnant women and the elderly in government hospitals, as well as a long-term plan for free healthcare for all citizens.

They also called for an end to child labour and urged the government to establish federal intervention programmes for the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

On insecurity, the forum demanded “the immediate release of all kidnap victims nationwide and the end of insecurity in Nigeria.”

The demands come amid sustained pressure on households following the removal of fuel subsidy and the introduction of market-based petrol pricing, which have contributed to higher transportation and living costs.

The forum said its charter was aimed not only at improving the welfare of federal workers but also at addressing wider economic and social challenges confronting Nigerians.

President Bola Tinubu, on May 29, 2023, announced during his inauguration that “subsidy is gone,” triggering a sharp increase in petrol prices and a ripple effect on transportation, food and other commodities across the country.

The policy, alongside foreign exchange reforms, intensified cost-of-living pressures on households, although the Federal Government and international financial institutions have defended the reforms as necessary to avert a fiscal crisis. The World Bank, however, acknowledged that the reforms imposed painful short-term adjustments, with higher petrol prices contributing to inflation and declining purchasing power.

The removal has remained a subject of intense political debate, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar among those who questioned the government’s claim that the subsidy regime had ended.