The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Lagos chapter, alongside workers of Lagos Television (LTV), Eko FM/Radio Lagos, and Lagos Traffic Radio, staged a protest on Monday, demanding the implementation of the N85,000 minimum wage as approved by the Lagos State Government.
The protest, organized in collaboration with the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), led to the shutdown of the three broadcast stations.
Workers expressed dissatisfaction with the management’s failure to implement the minimum wage, despite previous notices to do so.
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The workers had informed the management weeks earlier about their readiness to halt operations if the wage increase was not honored. Early Monday morning, they blocked the entrance and exit to the Agidingbi complex, displaying placards with messages like “Give us Oracle and take the revenue generated, Oracle is the answer, it’s all we need, Pay us Minimum Wage.”
Comrade Funmi Sessi, the NLC state chairman, led the protest, encouraging peaceful demonstrations. “We started peacefully, and we are going to end it peacefully. Nobody is going to push us through the wall,” Sessi said.
Addressing the media, Sessi emphasized the injustice faced by the workers, stating, “This is an injustice to the set of workers. The management has been given the mandate to pay the minimum wage as announced by the Lagos State Government. They are Lagos State workers.”
Sessi explained that the workers had been denied the new minimum wage, as well as arrears for the past three months and the 13th month benefits. “Since the government has commenced implementation of the N85,000 minimum wage since November, they have never collected the minimum wage. So, why this disparity for this set of workers?” she questioned.
Despite prior negotiations and several notices, including a 21-day notice to the management, the workers’ demands remained unmet. “We gave 14 days, then 7 days, and followed due process, yet there was no resolution. We are now telling them to shield their swords,” Sessi added.
Although acknowledging the Lagos State Government’s empathy towards workers, Sessi urged the governor to intervene. “We are hereby appealing to him to prevail on the management to do the needful and avoid unnecessary disruption to operations in the interest of the majority. We will sustain this struggle until the government listens and takes appropriate action on these demands.”
