This edition, we shift our attention to Nigeria as the Labour Congress (NLC), has described the federal government increase of civil servants by 35% as mischievous, insisting that the minimum wage should not be below N615,000 ($450).
According to NLC, a living wage is such that at least keep the workers alive for the month, without resorting to borrowing and malnutrition.
Recent reforms in Nigeria including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market have pushed the cost of living to newer levels. Inflation figures hit 33.2 per cent in March, further compounding a troubled economy.
Labour unions and the Federal Government have since been locked in negotiations over measures including a new minimum wage to cushion the impacts of the harsh economy.
The NLC is proposing a N615,000 monthly salary for workers, a jump from the current N30,000. Although many believe it is unrealistic, the labour union believes many states can pay it if they get their priorities right.
However, he said the government is yet to reconvene a meeting with the organized labour after they submitted a report of N615,000 to the government as the amount for living wage.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has, since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, been the platform for the Nigerian people to query government policies, actions and inaction, not only for the Nigerian working class, but the entire Nigerian peoples.
Such policies include: privatization and commercialization of public institutions and services, incessant fuel hikes, retrenchments of workers and implementation of prescribed conditions and unfavourable policies of international monopoly finance capitalist institutions, etc.
Let’s make sense of all these issues as we bring on board our guests:
Comrade Oluwakorede Matilukuro, is the Immediate Past President, Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), FCTA/ FCDA, Abuja and a ranking member of the Nigeria Labour congress.
Also joining us is Sentor’ Bosun Adeyeye. Mr Bosun is an expert in business administration and human capital development and an economist.