Hammed Ademola-Benco, Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ogun State, on Wednesday, reiterated that the proposed workers N1 million minimum wage is non-negotiable.
He made the disclosure during a press briefing in Abeokuta, the state capital, concluding the two-day protest aimed at addressing insecurity, hunger, and the high cost of living.
According to him, the national leadership of the union, under the guidance of National President Joe Ajaero, remains unwavering in its demands.
Ajaero had previously mentioned that ongoing inflation might prompt organized labour to advocate for N1 million as minimum wage, considering the rising cost of living since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, citing factors like the removal of fuel subsidy and other policies.
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Speaking with journalists at the union’s secretariat in Abeokuta, Ademola-Benco lamented that Nigerian workers are among the worst paid in the world.
He said, “N1m minimum wage was a product of dollarisation, so we are not withdrawing that, except until they (FG) explain to us why we have to shift ground. We are human beings, we are ready to shift ground.
“Because I can’t just imagine somebody working in Canada and earning 30 Canadian dollar per hour. If the Canadian dollar is N1,000, that means that person is taking N30,000 per hour and some people here are not earning up to N6,000 per eight hours.
“They must bring everything to the table and explain to us, convince us why we should not dollarise salary of workers in this country.”
