Hardship: NLC insists on N1m minimum wage
The Ogun State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Wednesday, said there is no going back on the proposed N1 million minimum wage for workers in the country.
The State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Hammed Ademola-Benco, who stated this while addressing newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital, insisted that the national leadership of the union will not back down on its demands, particularly the N1 million minimum wage.
It would be recalled that the National President of NLC, Joe Ajaero who led the negotiation with the federal government had, among others demanded for N1 million as minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Ajaero hinged the demand on the galloping inflation in the country and the depreciation of the naira.
Members of NLC had embarked on a nationwide protest over the economic hardship occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.
Speaking with journalists at the union’s secretariat in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Ademola-Benco lamented that Nigerian workers are among the worst paid in the world.
He said, “One million naira minimum wage was a product of dollarisation, so we are not withdrawing that, except until the FG explains to us why we have to shift ground, we are human beings, we are ready to shift ground.
“Because I can’t just imagine somebody working in Canada and earning $30 Canadian dollar per hour, if the Canadian dollar is N1,000 that means that person is taking N20,000 per hour and some people here are not earning up to N6,000 per eight hours.
“They must bring everything to the table and explain to us, convince us why we should not dollarise salary of workers in this country”.
Ademola-Benco said the nationwide protest was successful despite that its sister union, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other affiliates pulled out.