NLC To Push For New Minimum Wage, National Pension

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to launch a major national campaign to review the national minimum wage and to demand the introduction of a national minimum pension for retirees.

NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, disclosed this during the inauguration of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.

Ajaero said the welfare of pensioners must be given the same level of attention as that of serving workers, stressing that organised labour would no longer advocate  improved wages without also seeking better living conditions for retirees.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress is currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage,” he said.

“However, it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.”

According to him, the NLC will not only campaign for a new national minimum wage but will also push for the establishment of a national minimum pension to guarantee retirees a decent standard of living.

“It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement,” Ajaero stated.

The labour leader said the rising cost of living, coupled with increasing prices of food, healthcare and transportation, has made it difficult for many pensioners to survive.

“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.

Ajaero urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepare for the struggles ahead, describing the newly inaugurated Legacy House as a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity.

He also called on workers to remain united in defending their collective interests, noting that the labour movement would continue to demand the payment of outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension system that guarantees retirees’ dignity and financial security.

“We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security,” he added.