As Nigerian workers join their counterparts across the world to mark this year’s Workers’ Day today, they are full of expectations that the federal government will announce a realistic new minimum wage for them. Earlier, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had made some demands from the government ahead of today’s May Day celebration. Apart from asking for a realistic new minimum wage, Nigerian workers insisted that both state and local governments and the organised private sector must pay the new national minimum wage when it is approved.
To tackle the insecurity in the country, organised labour also called for creation of state and local government police. Others included improved labour/government industrial relations, settlement of pension arrears, establishment of compressed natural gas conversion centres in all senatorial districts, fixing of Port-Harcourt and Kaduna refineries as well as granting of local government autonomy and infrastructure support scheme to all local governments.
President Bola Tinubu had on January 30, 2024 set up a 37-member panel in Abuja to deliberate on a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers. The tripartite committee for a new minimum wage included representatives from organised private sector, organised labour and the government.
After deliberations on the new minimum wage, organised labour agreed on a tentative new minimum wage of N615,000 per month. Hitherto, the nation’s national minimum wage had been N30,000 per month. Following the rising cost of living occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration on May 29, 2023 and the unification of foreign exchange market, Nigerian workers made a case for a realistic new minimum wage.
They had argued that the N30,000 paid to workers per month could hardly cater for them and their families. Since a national minimum wage lasts for five years, the N30,000 minimum wage expired in April 18, 2024. We recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the N30,000 Minimum Wage Act into law on April 18, 2019.
Let the government use the May Day to celebrate Nigerian workers and address their demands for a living wage and better conditions of service. It is lamentable that the sliding value of the naira has reduced the purchasing power of the workers. Unfortunately, Nigerian workers have not been treated fairly by the government hence the ongoing brain drain in the health sector. The utter neglect of the workers has tacitly encouraged the migration of Nigerian workers to countries in Europe and America. Nigerian youths, the future of the country, are trooping in droves to overseas in search of greener pastures. No country can develop and achieve its dreams when its workers, including the youths are leaving the country.
We congratulate Nigerian workers on the occasion of Workers’ Day and urge them to continue with their good works despite the workplace challenges. In terms of welfare, it is not yet Uhuru for Nigerian workers. In spite of their invaluable services to the nation, the welfare of Nigerian workers has not been substantially enhanced. Their demand for a living wage has not been met. With the return of fuel queues at filling stations, many workers may not be able to go to work. After the removal of fuel subsidy, President Tinubu promised to cushion its effect by providing the masses with new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses. Let President Tinubu fulfill his promise now.
The government should pay the workers a realistic new minimum wage. They deserve it. The federal, state and local governments and the private sector must be willing to pay the new minimum wage. Sadly, workers in the private sector do not usually benefit from the new minimum wage and other wage increases enjoyed by workers in the civil service. Let organised labour ensure that private sector workers benefit from the new wage increase and other benefits accruable to Nigerian workers.
This May Day is special in so many ways. It is coming at a time Nigerian workers are faced with so many socio-economic challenges. It is also coming at a period of great expectations from the government on how to improve the lot of Nigerian workers. We urge the state and local governments to begin to pay their workers realistic wages. They should stop trampling on the rights of their workers, especially their rights to protest over welfare issues.