Joe Ajaero (pictured above), the factional President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Saturday, called on the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration to implement a new minimum wage for workers across the country, which should not be less than get this, N90,000.
In a speech to mark the 2015 May Day celebration in Lagos, Ajaero said the nation cannot address the twin challenges of income inequality and poverty without addressing the question of salaries and wages for working people “because there is [an] intricate linkage between income, consumption and production.”
Ajaero said the five year tenure of the national minimum wage ends this year. Therefore, to him, President-elect Buhari should expect a proposal from the NLC of N90,000 as part of negotiations with the Federal Government and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) when the next round of consultations commence.
According to him, ‘this modest proposal’ is based on the unstable micro-economic environment, the fall in the value of the naira and the prevailing high rate of inflation.
Ajaero lays claims to being the legitimate NLC leader, even though the Waba faction is widely recognized by most stakeholders and politicians.