Some union leaders in Lagos State have called on the federal government to review the current N30,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The unions said that the minimum wage must be a living wage, commensurate with rising costs of living due to inflation.
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They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Lagos on Monday that a review of the minimum wage would help ameliorate the hardship borne by civil servants.
The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) Lagos State chapter, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, said that Nigerian workers must earn good salaries and wages in order to live a good life.
“Inflation is rising every day, therefore, there is a need for government to increase workers’ salaries.
“Workers need to be comfortable, to be more productive in the different aspects of government parastatals they find themselves in,” he said.
Also, Mr Ismail Adejumo, Lagos State chapter chairman of the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) congratulated Nigerian workers for their resilience and dedication to duty.
Adejumo said that Nigerian workers had continued to ensure they provided selfless services in different sectors of government in spite of the economic challenges.
“The current economic challenges are biting hard on most homes and most of our workers cannot survive on their take-home pay.
“The take-home wage cannot be enough to cater adequately for their daily needs because all the economic indices have gone up.
“Workers are lamenting but in the midst of all these economic hardships, still remain resilient and dedicated to their duties,” the RATTAWU chairman said.
He urged the government to reciprocate Nigerian workers’ efforts, by ensuring it reviewed the current salary upwards to bring about a better life for them.
Also speaking, Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) UNILAG branch, Mr Kehinde Ajibade, said it was necessary to awaken the consciousness of government at all levels to the welfare of Nigerian citizens and workers.
“The NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) have been on strike now for over a month because our agitations have not been met.
“Some of our agitations boil down to the inconsistencies in our salary payment platform.
“We need the government to do the needful and step up to pay our three years arrears of minimum wage,” Ajibade said. (NAN)
