Minimum Wage Was More Than $125 In 1981, Today It Is Less Than $60 – NLC

• Wabba’s remarks come a few hours after the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, faulted governors yet to pay the new minimum wage to workers in their states

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has taken a swipe at Nigerian politicians for being insensitive to the plights of the workers in the country.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said the minimum wage in 1981 was more than $125, lamenting that it is currently less than $60.

“The first minimum wage in 1981by Shagari was more than $125. Today it is less than $60 because of the dwindling fortune of our economy,” he said.

Read also: Governors Not Paying Minimum Wage Are Breaching The Law – Ngige

“Instead of even appreciating, celebrating and paying workers, this crop of politicians, those that are not paying are not people that mean for Nigerians and our system.”

The NLC leader said the current index in Nigeria cannot sustain an average worker, noting that a bag of rice costs ₦30,000.

While noting that workers are in a ‘very sorry situation’, Wabba said some state governments do not see the welfare of their workers as a priority.

On the minimum wage, the labour leader threatened a shutdown in states where governors are yet to implement the policy.

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He added, “Today, more than one-third of the states are not paying. Some actually implemented for Levels 1-6. It is only about lack of resources, it is about whether they are committed to workers’ welfare.

“If not, how can a state like Rivers be talking about workers’ welfare up till now. This is the real issue. Those governors that are good, are not in the same category.