The Nigeria Labour Congress has said that Nigerians have nothing to fear over the proposed new minimum wage, saying contrary to claims, it will not result in any form of inflation.
The NLC said that it would rather save the citizens from the current economic hardship in the country.
Recall that labour recently suspended a strike action following Federal Government’s proposal of N30,000 as the new minimum wage after a long negotiation process with the workers to bring it down from the initial N60,500.
But speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the Chairman of NLC in Ogun State, Comrade Akeem Ambali, admonished Nigerians to shun the idea that the implementation of the new minimum by the FG would lead to inflation.
Ambali said that issue of the new minimum wage causing any hardship was a mischief by some politicians to deceive Nigerians into believing that the price of petroleum, the cost of transportation, electricity, food stuffs and services would increase as soon as the new minimum wage is implemented.
The NLC chairman explained that the new minimum wage would only alleviate and remove the poverty situation of the country as well enrich the workers to enable them to patronise the farmers, artisans, traders and market women to sustain their businesses.
He, therefore, charged the Federal Government to create a legal team to expedite action on the processes for the new minimum wage, saying that the workers suspended the strike for it to be quickly
implemented.
Ambali also noted that that the workforce should be commended for not asking three times the amount of the current N18,000 minimum wage.
He said, “We are advising Nigerians not to panic that the new minimum wage will trigger inflation. There is already inflation in the country, the fuel price, the cost of transportation, electricity and food stuffs show that we are already in inflation and it is not true that the new minimum wage will lead to inflation.
“What labour has decided is that the new minimum wage must be done quickly and before we suspended the strike and we know it is a process. And for Nigerians to be saved from the hands of poverty and death, that was why we negotiated down to N30,000.
“We have agreed on the N30,000 and whatever parameter that is giving below the N30,000 is a minor. Labour should be commended for the new minimum wage. We should have asked for the times three of the N18,000 minimum wage. So, the farmers, artisans, market women are the ones that will benefit.”
