Workers Inability To Meet Basic Needs Worries ILO, Advocates Living Wages

Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, has expressed worry over the inability of workers to meet essential basic needs with their take home pay, after working not less than 50 hours in a week.

Speaking at the 3rd Annual Labour Adjudication and Arbitration Forum (LAAF) themed ‘Labour Adjudication and Appellate Jurisdiction: Challenges and Prospects,’ yesterday in Abuja, the DG said there was need for the Nigerian government and Africa in general, to move away from minimum wage to a living wage to enable workers cater for their needs.

He said: “One critical factor for us is the living wage. We want to appreciate the effort made by the government in increasing the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, more than double, which is a decisive effort from the government.

“Now, at the same token, I cannot not listen to the concern about the workers in terms of the existing costs of living, particularly when it comes to the different dimensions of their daily life.

“But to make it even more complicated, we do believe in ILO that we have to move away from the concept of minimum wage to a concept of living wage.

It is absolutely unacceptable that a.citizen would be working 50 hours a week, 60 hours a week, across the world, not only in Nigeria, yet not being able to respond to the basic needs basically for himself, for herself, for the family, and for the community and therefore, it’s essential.

“This is why I really appreciate this initiative com – ing from NECA because we do know that the more the business will prosper, the more the economy will prosper, the more we will create a fiscal space for the government to be able to respond as well.to the social needs of the population at large.

“I really hope this gathering will continue, that NECA will continue creating this forum for all of us to be able to look at these issues and moving forward in a way that will always balance the three pillars; economy, social, and environmental.”

The DG ILO urged Nigeria to embrace the many opportunities technology presents to create decent jobs for the teming population of youths.