The National President of the National Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has criticized the federal government's recent announcement of a 35% increase in civil servants' salaries, describing it as "mischievous" and insisting that the minimum wage should not be below N615,000.
In an interview with Channels TV, Ajaero emphasized the need for a "living wage" that would adequately cover workers' basic needs without resorting to borrowing or malnutrition. He lamented the government's failure to reconvene a meeting with organized labor after they submitted a report proposing the N615,000 living wage.
Ajaero broke down the components of the proposed wage, including accommodation, utilities, transportation, healthcare, education, and more, totaling N615,000.
The federal government's recent salary increase, ranging from 25% to 35%, applies to various salary structures, but Ajaero contends that it falls short of meeting workers' essential needs, raising concerns about the government's commitment to workers' welfare.