Business
PH Residents Back New Wage Demand For Workers

Ahead of next Tuesday’s anticipated national strike by Nigerian workers over the minimum wage, residents of Port Harcourt have thrown their weight behind the demand for a new minimum wage by civil servants in the country, saying, a new wage for the workers is long overdue.
Speaking to The Tide in separate interviews in Port Harcourt, they said there was the need for government to increase the minimum wage going by the economic realities of today.
A transporter, Mr Barry Nwiemadee noted that the high cost of goods and services has made the demand for a new minimum wage very imperative, stressing that what the workers currently earn as salaries is not enough to take care of their daily needs.
Mr. Nwiemadee decried a situation whereby some state governments owe workers backlog of salary arrears, describing it as unacceptable.
A worker with Coscharis Motors, Mr. Ogbonye Maxwell noted that the major bane in the country is corruption, as it always constitutes a drain to the financial resources of the country and a serious challenge to payment of salaries.
He added that workers should be paid living wages to ameliorate the economic challenges facing them.
Mr. Maxwell said Nigeria has all it takes to pay well and that the government should also consider workers in the private sector.
A businessman, Prince Chukwuemeka noted that Nigeria is very large and blessed with abundant human and natural resources.
“So, looking at the salaries being paid to the workers, infact, the salaries are very low, as the wages would not be able to take care of their daily needs. For this reason, the government should try and increase the wages of the workers,” he said.
Another businessman, who simply gave his name as Uche said workers deserve better wages especially in view of the present economic situation in the country.
He appealed to government to consider the demand of the organised labour for N30,000 minimum wage.
Nigerian workers are poised for a showdown next Tuesday, as the Nigerian Labour Congress has threatened to commence a nationwide indefinite strike if the government fails to accede to its demand for N30,000 as the new minimum wage.
Sandra Odije Obam