Workers day: Labour demands review of wage, lament over cost of living crisis

As the nation commemorates 2025 May Day today, state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have condemned the state of Nigerian workers and demanded an immediate revision of the N70,000 minimum wage.

This is coming after Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared that the executive and legislative branches of government would not “shirk our responsibility to work together” in order to resolve the issues facing the work force and provide chances for development and prosperity.

However, despite President Bola Tinubu’s promises to give workers “a living wage” in addition to the minimum wage, organised labour leaders nationwide said that workers’ conditions have deteriorated since his election.

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In an interviews with the labour leaders claimed that the high living cost and the skyrocketing inflation had crippled Nigerian workers, rendering the N70,000 minimum wage meaningless. Comrade Julius Laye, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress for Bayelsa State, said that the situation of Nigerian workers under President Bola Tinubu’s administration was worse than it had ever been.

“You know that the government introduced several taxes, and the hike in tariffs has impacted the workers negatively. The economic policies and the removal of subsidies have led to hyperinflation, so the minimum wage has become inadequate.

“Even the minimum wage is not enough to cover Medicare. Incidentally, they have money to fly out to seek better medical attention, but the Nigerian workers do not have the means to do so.

“We are worse off in this administration than we had ever been at any other time.” Laye said.

Other NLC state leaders including Rivers, Niger, Ebonyi, Oyo, Imo, Ogun, Lagos, Benue among others also lamented over the high cost of living, adding that some workers earn as low as 30,000.

In a statement made through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio also praised the diligence and commitment of Nigerian workers, pointing out that they had always put the country before all else.

He said, “Today, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of Nigerian workers. We, in the Senate and of course, the National Assembly, acknowledge your invaluable contributions to our nation’s development.

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