By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Amidst ongoing negotiation, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has described the N54,000 minimum wage proposals by the Federal Government as ridiculously low.
In statement on Wednesday by its National Chairperson, Comrade Rufus Olusesan and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chinedu Bosah CDWR stressed that the N48,000 and the N54,000 offers of the organized private sector and the Federal Government are insult to Nigerian workers.
CDWR maintained that the figures are ” a far cry from the high cost of living”, saying, ” The Nigerian economy is in a deep crisis. Inflation is currently at 33.69 % while as of April 2023 before Tinubu took power it was 22.22 %”.
According to CDWR, “the implementation of neo-liberal and anti-people policies such as the removal of petrol subsidy, devaluation of the Naira, growing commercialisation of education and fee hikes, increase of import duties, hikes in electricity tariff etc., have made prices of goods and services to go through the roof, crushing more Nigerians into excruciating poverty”.
” The capitalist government and the private company owners have always stated that there is no money to pay workers a living wage, but money is readily available for frivolities, profligacies, and payment of jumbo salaries and allowances to top political office holders”, it said.
CDWR added, ” This is one of the numerous examples of profligacies that have become the hallmark of the capitalist ruling elite. While workers earn their wage through their productivity the capitalist ruling elite are parasitic on the economy”.
” The N54,000 offered by the Tinubu-led government is a natural response from a government whose agenda for growing the exploitative capitalist economy is to further enrich the privileged-few and pauperize the working masses”.
Calling on Labour leadership not to turn their ultimatum ” to another empty threat like the previous one which has expired since March 13 without the NLC saying a single word let alone a declaration of mass actions”, CDWR noted ” after the expiration of the ultimatum, we propose a 48 hour general strike and mass protest as the first step”.
” Despite the ongoing negotiations, it is only a struggle anchored on mass mobilisation of Nigerian workers and the masses on a sustainable basis demanding living wage and reversal of all anti-poor policies that can win reasonable concessions from an anti-people government”.
It stressed “The struggle is going to be protracted, and so labour leaders should be prepared to sustain the mass actions through a programme of actions that allows workers to actively participate and be democratically involved.
This will entail producing and circulating mass leaflets and posters, media campaigns, community mobilisation, mass meetings at workplaces and communities, and setting up community/workplace action committees to make clear that Labour will wage a determined struggle to defend and improve the living standards of the vast majority of Nigerians”.
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