Abuja, May 1, 2025 -Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has decried the N70,00 minimum wage in the country.
He said the minimum wage was grossly insufficient considering the skyrocketing cost of living.
Ajaero said the while addressing journalists ahead of the May Day celebration to mark the International Workers’ Day.
“The minimum wage cannot buy a bag of rice. If you are sincere and you go to work every day, 20 days, your salary is gone on transportation.
“We are not asking for luxury. We are simply demanding a wage that allows a worker to live a dignified life, pay rent, feed their families, send their children to school, and transport themselves to work.”
The NLC president called for periodic adjustment of the minimum wage to keep pace with skyrocketing inflation.
Ajaero also decried the inconsistencies in salary payment and implementation of wage awards across various states and federal agencies.
He said many states had refused to implement the approved wage increases or were paying workers below the agreed minimum wage.
The labour leader said the current disparities in the federal and state public service salary structures were also unacceptable and called for immediate harmonization and review of salary step progression and grade levels to ensure equity
He said the economic policies of government were hostile to workers as the removal of fuel subsidy, devaluation of naira and the attendant inflation had plunged millions of households into deeper poverty
“It is clear that the policies of the government, particularly the ill-timed and unstructured removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the Naira, have pushed Nigerian workers and their families to the brink,” he said.
Ajaero expressed regret that the federal government failed to implement many of the policies to cushion the effects of economic hardship brought about by its economic policies.
He cited the delay in rolling out Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure and vehicles, which was supposed to provide affordable alternatives to petrol-powered transportation.
“They promised us CNG buses. Where are they? They promised wage awards. Many states have not implemented anything. The promises made last year have remained largely on paper,” he said.
The NLC president called on the Federal Government to accelerate the implementation of energy reforms to alleviate the burden on workers who spend a significant portion of their income on transportation.
He called for tax reforms to rid the system of current unfairness, adding that the country’s tax regime was treating the poor unfairly, while allowing multinational corporations and political elite to evade taxes.
“It is only in Nigeria that someone earning N50, 000 a month is taxed heavily while the real billionaires are not paying their fair share. This system must change,” he said. (GBN)
