Organised Labour has urged media owners, particularly in the private sector, to begin implementing the new ₦70,000 national minimum wage for their employees ahead of the September deadline.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Joe Ajaero, made the appeal during a joint press conference with his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Mr Festus Osifo, at the ongoing 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ajaero decried the poor remuneration and working conditions of journalists in many privately-owned media houses, describing them as uncompetitive and demoralising.
“The failure of some media organisations to pay their journalists is affecting our members across the industry, and it hampers their ability to engage professionally with their counterparts globally,” he said.
He stressed that the NLC and TUC are appealing to media proprietors to prioritise fair and timely remuneration for their employees.
“The wage structure should be competitive when compared with what journalists earn in other parts of the world,” Ajaero added.
He further disclosed that labour unions have given media employers a September deadline to fully implement the new ₦70,000 national minimum wage for their staff.
