This week Nigeria has been rocked by labour union strikes across various government sectors. The cost of living crisis that has gripped our nation has had devastating impacts on Nigerians. The life of the average Nigerian has been significantly altered, in comparison to even just a few months ago.
The reality is that we are now in a completely new economic reality in Nigeria. The unpegging of the Naria to the US Dollar, compounded by the removal of the fuel subsidy that had been in place for decades, by the Tinubu administration, has spurred this dramatic shift in the economic outlook of Nigeria.
This shift has meant that the wages that workers have been earning in Nigeria have lost their value significantly. So much so, that affording even basic commodities has become a luxury for many workers throughout the country. Keep in mind this is in a nation where millions of people face multidimensional poverty. Add on top of that an economic crisis and you have an inordinate amount of deprivation sweeping across our nation.
This economic downturn has caused many Nigerian workers to demand higher wages from their employers. The current minimum wage of 30,000 Naira is not nearly enough for anyone to be able to afford basic commodities to support themselves, much less to support a family. Even before this current catastrophic economic downturn began, such a low wage already put people on the verge of destitution.
That is the reason why we have seen such massive strikes taking place across Nigeria. These Union strikes have hit against the most vital sectors of Nigeria’s economic system. So much so that widespread electricity blackouts hit most of the country over the course of the strike, therefore, its impacts had truly been felt by everyone in the country. Workers are demanding that the minimum wage of Nigerians should be increased.
This strike has caused widespread disruption across the country. As electricity is required to operate virtually every part of a modern economy, the disruptions have been felt by many. Likewise, it is also important to acknowledge that some vital sectors of our society have been severely impacted such as the healthcare sector.
However, while it’s important to keep in mind the needs of particularly vulnerable populations, it’s also worth pointing out that, this is the very reason why a strike happens in the first place. The point of a strike is to cause disruption and to make it clear that the needs of workers must be dealt with.
The National Labour Council (NLC) initially demanded a sharp increase in the salary arguing that it should be one million Naira per month, later they revised their demands and requested a wage of around 500 000 Naira per month. However, it is looking more and more likely that there will be a settlement of around 100,000 Naira per month for workers.
Regardless of whatever outcome is settled upon the reality is that the minimum wage around the country needs to be raised. It cannot be that people all over our country break their backs doing hard labour, yet fail to be able to put food on the table for themselves or their families.
