President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has criticised state governments for failing to fully implement the new N70,000 minimum wage, alleging that some states merely added N5,000 to workers’ salaries without meaningful adjustments.
Speaking at the 6th National Gender Conference organised by the NLC National Women’s Commission in Abuja, Ajaero lamented that workers’ earnings have been eroded by taxation and inflation, rendering the wage increase ineffective.
“This has exposed us to all sorts of danger,” he said. “If you want to be a serious worker and go to work for 24 days or 20 days a month, the N70,000 will disappear. That’s a fact today.”
Ajaero, who questioned the sincerity of some governors in the implementation of the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 agreed to after strikes last year, stressed that the situation in the country was becoming unbearable for workers.
“The issue of implementing a minimum wage is the worst crime I have ever seen. In some states, you just notice N5,000 added to your salary. So, what is the essence of consequential adjustment?”
He also criticised the lack of consultation with the NLC on salary adjustments, stressing that “at the level of consequential adjustment, the NLC was not contacted. So I wonder why workers should be short-changed — I do not understand.”
Chairperson of the NLC Women’s Commission, Salamatu Aliu, also addressed the gathering, highlighting ongoing gender-based discrimination and abuse in the workplace.
Credit: The Guardian