Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, decried the impact of inflation on the new ₦70,000 minimum wage on Friday, April 25, calling on all organised labour to unite and combat the myriad challenges facing workers.
Speaking at the first quadrennial delegates conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja, Ajaero expressed deep concern that everyday Nigerians are now burdened by electricity tariffs and taxes that exceed their minimum earnings.
“It is a period where the tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase on the salaries. It is a period we need to sit and reflect on our survival.
“What are those things that affect us most? The social safety nets that are obtainable in some developed economies of the world, and we need to fight for them. Very important, the cost of living index.
“We need to look at it. How does it affect an average worker? How was the minimum wage that the NLC, TUC, and others fought for implemented? Was it implemented in the local government for teachers, workers and those in the formal and informal sectors of the economy alike?” Ajaero said.
He lamented that inflation has effectively eroded the value of the minimum wage. “The landlords and transporters have taken it all. The electricity tariff is more than our minimum wage; the tariff on telecom is going high by the day,” he added.
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Ajaero also called for the labour unions to strengthen their bonds with civil society and review their collective strategies to better safeguard workers’ rights.
“There is therefore the need for the organised labour unions to stand united and review their relationships with Nigerians and players in the civil society space to collectively fight the numerous issues affecting workers.
“It is a period we need to reenact our relationship with not just the trade union movement but our civil society allies and the Nigerian masses.
“The NLC is extending its hand of fellowship to the TUC for us to work together hand in hand for the interest of the Nigerian people and workers.
“History beckons that if we fail to work together, we will all perish. At this point, we have to work on those things that affect us most,” he stated.
Ajaero concluded by emphasising that the challenges confronting the workforce are genuine, not mere drills, and that overcoming them demands robust union action and unwavering commitment from all stakeholders.