Nigerian Workers Won’t Accept Slave Wage, NLC Insists

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would continue to reject any proposed minimum wage that does not address the critical needs of the average worker in the country.

It said for the government to ensure decent work, it must first ensure that workers earn decent wage that matches the prevailing cost of living.

In a speech delivered at this year’s Rain School holding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the reason organised labour was insisting on N250,000 as the new minimum wage was to avoid imposing slave wage on the poor workers.

He said: “The world of work can only be fair when it is able to deliver on the four pillars of Decent Work. This includes a national minimum wage that speaks to the cost of living because that is what our wages are supposed to take care of.

“Our demand for N250,000 is predicated on this to avoid the proposed slave wage by our social partners.

“We cannot afford to continue working in greater poverty. This explains why you must take your discussions here serious so that all of us will be adequately equipped to continue protecting ourselves and members as the world of work travels into the future,” he said.