The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero, has said that he would be willing to go to jail rather than follow any court order preventing him and his union from going on strike over the demand for a rise in the minimum wage.
Ajaero stated this on Tuesday, while speaking at the 2nd National Labour Adjudication and Arbitration Forum, in Abuja.
According to him, “The amount that some Nigerians earn is equivalent to what is used to feed guard dogs in prison. For this, the law that says that the minimum should be reviewed every five years is faulted because the current economic situation and rising inflation no longer support that.”
Ajaero added that social dialogue and tripartism have proven to be utterly useless in the nation because the government has consistently refused to uphold the agreements that result from them.
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“We had an agreement in October, but nothing has been done since. Then you call me for social conversation once more, and we keep having it without getting anywhere. It is an issue. We discuss social dialogue daily, but we must internalise it and understand that we are serious about it.
It is no longer appropriate to have a minimum wage with a five-year review period. In five years, Nigeria’s economy, no matter what we negotiate now, will not be able to purchase a bag of rice. So, while discussing social dialogue, we must take all of these issues into consideration. According to the law, we must renegotiate after five years. I have no idea how much our future currency will be worth after five years. I believe that annually, we ought to assess the rate of inflation and make necessary adjustments to the system.
“We cannot maintain the salaries at the current level while other costs rise.
“Then I will get an injunction that I should not go on strike. Will I take such instruction? I will not do it. I better go into jail because the money they are spending on feeding dogs in prison now is more than what Nigerians are earning,” he said. #Jail