Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), criticized the federal government’s 35% pay increase for civil servants as deceptive, insisting that the minimum wage should be N615,000 to ensure a decent standard of living. Ajaero made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television.
Ajaero argued that the previous minimum wage of N30,000 had expired on April 18, and discussions on a new minimum wage should have been concluded by now. However, he expressed frustration that the government had not reconvened the meeting to finalize negotiations.
He expressed concern that the timing of the announcement seemed dubious, emphasizing that there was no actual wage increase being announced. Ajaero stressed that both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) were troubled by this development.
According to Ajaero, the organized labour has proposed a living wage of N615,000 for civil servants. This figure is calculated based on various essential expenses, including housing, electricity, utilities, food, medical expenses, clothing, education, and transportation.
A breakdown of the proposed living wage includes N40,000 for housing, N20,000 for electricity (prior to the tariff increase), N10,000 for utilities, N25,000 to N35,000 for kerosene and gas, N270,000 for food for a family of six, N50,000 for medical expenses, N20,000 for clothing, N50,000 for education, and N10,000 for sanitation. Transportation costs, estimated at N110,000, contribute significantly to the total living wage.
Ajaero invited further scrutiny of the proposed living wage, challenging anyone to assess whether it would leave workers with any savings after meeting their basic needs.
