The Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Waheed Olojede, on Monday called on members of the union, including nurses, to join a peaceful protest against what he described as the refusal of government to accept N30,000 as the minimum wage for workers.
Olojede made the call while speaking during the inauguration of the Nurses House financed by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Oyo State Council in Ibadan.
He said Nigerian workers were suffering untold hardships while lawmakers elected to represent them had access to unlimited amounts of money in the name of salaries and allowances.
The labour leader said the protest would be held on Tuesday (today) in Ibadan to press home the union’s demand for the payment of the proposed new minimum wage to workers.
Olojede said, “I urge nurses and midwives in the state to join the planned protest. It sounds absurd that politicians whose flamboyant lifestyles are evident for the public to see could be complaining of inability to pay a meagre N30,000 as minimum wage.
“The time is now for the struggle. Today, we are complaining of minimum wage. We are calling on all our members and affiliates to join us in the protest which will be a peaceful one. We will march through all major roads from the Labour House on Tuesday (today).
“A senator earns N13.5m as salaries and the same politician is reluctant to pay a mere N30,000 as minimum wage. Nothing will make us change our mind. Initially, we did not agree on N30,000 but when we considered the private sector, we accepted.”
