The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has called for a new minimum wage of $200 per month for the least paid worker in Nigeria. He made the call in an interview with Vanguard on Monday, October 8, 2023.
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“The least paid worker in Nigeria should get a minimum of two hundred dollars. It’s not even up to ten dollars a day. I am not talking of ten dollars per hour, it’s not up to ten dollars a day. So, if you even put it at seven dollars a day, that was at the international…”
Ajaero went on to say that the current minimum wage of N30,000 is no longer enough to sustain a worker and his family in light of the rising cost of living. He said that a worker needs to earn at least N200,000 per month to be able to meet his basic needs, such as food, shelter, transportation, and education for his children.
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The NLC has been calling for a new minimum wage for several months now. In July 2023, the union organized a nationwide protest to demand a new minimum wage of N100,000 per month. However, the government refused to meet the union’s demands.
The NLC’s call for a new minimum wage is supported by many Nigerians. A recent poll by the NOIPolls found that 75% of Nigerians believe that the minimum wage should be increased. The poll also found that 58% of Nigerians believe that the minimum wage should be at least N200,000 per month.
The Nigerian government has not yet responded to Ajaero’s call for a new minimum wage. However, the government has said that it is committed to improving the lives of workers. In September 2023, the government announced a new social security program that will provide financial assistance to low-income workers and their families.
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It remains to be seen whether the Nigerian government will agree to increase the minimum wage to $200 per month. However, Ajaero’s call for a new minimum wage is a sign of the growing frustration among Nigerian workers with the rising cost of living and their declining standard of living.
Source: Tribune Newspaper