The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Friday, said Nigerians are paying electricity tariffs that are more than the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 that was approved by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The NLC also said that inflation has eroded the new minimum wage, as it cannot take workers home at the end of the month.
Ajaero lamented that the tax regime introduced by the current administration, especially the tax on salaries, was almost higher than the N70,000 new minimum wage.
He said that the exorbitant prices of rents and transportation have rubbished the new wage approved for Nigerian workers.
The NLC President said, “We have fought battles on minimum wage, and we are still fighting on it. We have fought battles on fuel subsidy and we are still fighting battles on tax regimes. It is a period where tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase on your 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 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?
“The manner in which the minimum wage was implemented – me, Osifo and others – we fought and got the N70,000 minimum wage, but how was it implemented? In the local government, for teachers, for workers, in the formal and informal sectors of the economy.
“Whatever we got in terms of minimum wage has been eroded by inflation. The landlords have taken it all; the transporters have taken it; electricity tariff is more than our minimum wage; the tariff on telecom is going high by the day.”
According to him, there was need for the NLC and TUC to stand united and revive their relationships with Nigerians and players in the civil society space to collectively fight the numerous issues affecting workers; else, workers would not be able to survive the current situation they have found themselves in.
“It is a period we need to reenact our relationship with not just the trade union movement but our civil society allies and the mass of Nigerian people.
“The NLC is extending their hand of fellowship to the TUC for us to work together, hand in hand, for the interest of Nigerian people and workers. History beckons that if we fail to work together, we will all perish. At this point in time, we have to work on those things that affect us most.
“An assembly of this nature is such that we should look at our survival strategies. If you do this, and we are ready to work with you, history beckons to show that we can, at a time when we have a difficult situation, and we work together as a movement to rescue the workers of Nigeria.
“The challenges that the workers face here are not a drill; they are real challenges that require a robust, strong trade union to be able to face hands-on,” Ajaero added.
