Minimum Wage: Workers at Lagos State-owned media organizations commence warning Strike
Workers’ unions at Lagos State-owned media organizations initiated a three-day warning strike on Monday to protest the non-payment of the minimum wage.
The workers are also protesting non- inclusion in the state Oracle database.
The workers, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU), Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation, shut down operations, citing anti-labour practices.
The workers comprised staff of Lagos Television, Radio Lagos/Eko FM and Lagos Traffic Radio.
They said that the strike had become imperative due to state government’s failure to meet their demands.
The workers, who walked around their various premises, sang solidarity songs for hours as they were being entertained by a musical band.
Fusion Chronicle Reporter whom witnessed the protest reports that the protesting workers carried placards with different inscriptions to press home their demands.
The inscriptions include: “Give us Oracle and take the revenue generated”, “Palliatives and subventions are not working”, “Oracle is the answer”, and “All we need is Oracle! Save our today and secure our future”.
The others are: ” Non-implementation of new minimum wage is anti-labour”, “Minimum wage, a must! Our sweat is drying up”, “Save us from career stagnation”, and “LTV, Radio Lagos, Traffic Radio are not liability, we are asset to the government”.
Speaking to newsmen, the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of NUJ, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, said that the media workers demanded fair treatment and wages for being at the centre of promoting government policies.
He said that both the NUJ and RATTAWU had given different ultimatums and had exercised enough patience for the government to meet their demands.
Ajayi noted that the included payment of new minimum wage and inclusion in the Oracle database for salary payment.
“Both NUJ and RATTAWU are quite aware of this. We have given different ultimatums – a 10-day ultimatum, a 21-day ultimatum, and the last and final one was a seven-day ultimatum.
“I think these are ultimatums for the state government to accede to the requests of our members.
“Our members are very committed, they are very dedicated; they are very patriotic, they have no closing hours, and I think they should be well-remunerated.
“Our members should be integrated to the Oracle database. Oracle database is like the IPPIS system in the Federal Civil Service that creates a seamless way of paying workers’ salaries and other benefits,” Ajayi said.
According to him, the government should look into the issue of minimum wage which is being enjoyed by other state workers.
“This determines what they will do with salaries and other expenses.
“To us, this is no longer sustainable.
“For the past 12 years or thereabout, we have been demanding for migration of the workers here to Oracle database to guarantee regular payment of workers’ salaries and other benefits, along with other counterparts in the ministry; yet this has not been done.
“We are calling on the government and all the agencies concerned to migrate workers here to Oracle. Once they migrate them, we disperse and every problem will be solved.”
According to him, if the government refuses to meet the workers demands after the warning strike, the unions will go on an indefinite strike.
“There is no retreat, no surrender,” Oladejumo said.
