The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the South-West region has demanded a new minimum wage of N794,000 for workers in the area. This demand, presented by the Chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of NLC, Funmi Sessi, during a public hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in Ikeja, was jointly agreed upon by all members of the union in the region.
The demand comes amidst growing concerns about Nigeria’s high inflation rate. It follows President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration of a 37-member panel on the new minimum wage, with Vice President Kashim Shettima leading the initiative.
This demand echoes the sentiments expressed earlier by the National Chairman of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, who suggested that the NLC may even demand N1 million as the new minimum wage for government workers due to the country’s sky-high inflation.
“This N1 million may be relevant if the value of the Nigerian (Naira) continues to depreciate; if the inflation continues unchecked because the demand of labour is equally dependent on what is happening in the society,” Ajaero said.