Joe Ajaero, the national president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), has clarified the rationale behind proposing N615,000 as the minimum wage to the federal government. Ajaero, during a visit to The Nation headquarters in Lagos, cited the prevailing economic conditions in the country as the basis for the proposal.
Ajaero emphasized that the aim of the proposed minimum wage is to improve the lives of workers, despite misconceptions surrounding the figure. He explained, "There are misconceptions about the proposed N615,000, but we don’t have a choice, and if we are asked to represent it today, it will increase. The tariff was not there when we made the proposal, but things are hard now."
He further elaborated that the NLC considered factors such as food, medical expenses, education, and other utilities in determining the proposed minimum wage. However, they did not include provisions for communication, offerings, and similar expenses. Ajaero highlighted that the removal of subsidies has also significantly impacted the cost of living.
Ajaero concluded by suggesting that if the subsidy had not been removed, the NLC might have proposed a minimum wage of N80,000 instead. The NLC president expressed the need to clarify their stance to the public for better understanding of their position on the proposed minimum wage.
