“We have fought battles on minimum wage and we have not relented,” he said. “It is a period where the tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase.”
Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has decried the impact of inflation on the newly approved minimum wage of N70,000.
Speaking at the Trade Union Congress (TUC) delegates conference in Abuja, Ajaero stated that Nigerians now pay electricity tariffs and taxes exceeding their wages.
“We have fought battles on minimum wage and we have not relented,” he said. “It is a period where the tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase.”
He emphasized the rising cost of living and questioned the wage’s implementation across various sectors, including local governments and informal workers.
Ajaero warned that landlords and transporters had already consumed much of the wage increase, and telecom tariffs continue to rise. He urged organized labour and civil society to unite in addressing these challenges.
“The NLC is extending its hand of fellowship to the TUC… If we fail to work together, we will all perish,” he added.