NewsNigeriaPoliticsThe Nigeria Labour Congress Calls for ₦615,000 Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, is demanding a significant increase in the national minimum wage to ₦615,000, arguing that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000, set in 2019, is no longer enough to afford basic necessities due to Nigeria’s rising cost of living.

On 1st May 2024, the national Workers’ Day, NLC President Joe Ajaero announced the demand at a televised interview.

The NLC is urging the federal government to immediately begin negotiations on a new minimum wage. The union believe ₦615,000 is a more realistic minimum wage that would allow workers to cover essential expenses like food, housing, and healthcare.

According to Ajaero, the proposed ₦615,000 would be a “living wage” for Nigerian workers. “Living wage is such that will, at least keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poor and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital everyday because of malnutrition,” he explained.

Giving a breakdown of what the proposed wage covers, Ajaero said, “We have housing and accommodation of ₦40,000. We asked for electricity of ₦20,000 — of course that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have utility that is about ₦10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas that is about ₦25,000 to ₦35,000.”

“We looked at food for a family of six, that is about ₦9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about ₦270,000. Look at medical, ₦50,000 provided there will be no surgery or whatever. For clothing, we looked at ₦20,000.”

“For education, ₦50,000. I don’t know for those who tried to put their children in private school, they will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of ₦10,000. I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay in the fringes and because of the cost of PMS, that amounted to ₦110,000.”

“That brought the whole living wage to ₦615,000 and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody on this rate.”

The NLC is not alone in this fight. The Trade Union Congress, TUC, has joined forces with the NLC, presenting a united front in their demands for a significant increase in the minimum wage.

The federal government has yet to respond to the NLC’s demands. Nigerians are watching with bated breath to see if a more livable minimum wage will be implemented and how close it will be to the NLC’s ambitious ₦615,000 proposal.