The Nigeria Labour Congress, Anambra state chapter, on Tuesday described as laughable that the country’s minimum wage could no longer buy a bag of rice.
The Chairman of the congress in the state, Mr Jerry Nnubia, stated this during a rally in solidarity with Nasarawa state workers who were allegedly killed by the police while protesting against the slice in wages by the state government on July 29.
Nnubia who said it was wicked for any state government to think of cutting down workers’ pay at this time of economic hardship, described the Nasarawa action as inhuman.
“ We are here today to show solidarity with our members in Nasarawa state who were killed and injured by overzealous policemen at the gate of government house, Nasarawa for opposing slice in their salary by the state governor, Tanko Al-Makura.
“Why should workers be victims of every economic doom? When we have economic boom nobody remembers workers.
“A bag of rice today is N23,000 or more and their minimum wage is N18,000. This is laughable.
“Why haven’t the governors sliced their wages and those of their aides?
“Our position is that any governor that can’t pay workers’ salaries should resign.
“Is it not laughable that the same salary paid when a bag of rice was sold for N9, 000 is the same salary that is paid when a bag of rice is sold for N23,000 or more?”
Slicing of anybody’s salary now is not only wicked; it’s criminal, the NLC chairman stated.
