AJAERO EXPLODES IN LAGOS: 90% OF NIGERIAN JOURNALISTS ARE SLAVES, CAN’T AFFORD HOUSES, PENSIONS, OR 35 YEARS ON ONE JOB
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS –IN a brutally frank address that shook the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, annual event in Lagos, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero tore into media proprietors, the NUJ, and the Federal Government, declaring that Nigerian journalists are overworked, underpaid, insecure and abandoned.
From transportation nightmare to housing impossibility, from fake professionalism to collapse of collective bargaining, Ajaero who revealed he started his career in the media, said the press is defending everybody except itself.
KEY ISSUES AS DELIVERED BY COMRADE JOE AJAERO – IN HIS OWN WORDS:
ON MEDIA WORKERS’ WELFARE – NUJ MUST STOP BEHAVING LIKE SOCIAL CLUB:
“The welfare of media workers is an important issue that deserves greater attention in Nigeria. Where journalists are inadequately remunerated and their working conditions are unfavourable, deliberate efforts must be made to address the situation.”
“Anybody who tells you that journalists are exclusively professionals and therefore do not need trade union representation is not telling you the truth. Even medical doctors have registered their organisations as trade unions. The NUJ is already registered as a trade union, so why is it not more actively involved in negotiations concerning journalists’ welfare?”
“As we speak, what is the minimum wage for media workers across the country? What collective bargaining agreements exist between journalists and their employers?”
“About 90 per cent of journalists work for other people. Therefore, the NUJ must be actively involved in negotiating better welfare packages for its members.”
ON TRANSPORT AND HOUSING – JOURNALISTS TREKKING TO COVER NEWS:
“Transportation has become a major challenge for workers, including journalists. The rising cost of transportation makes it increasingly difficult for media professionals to move from one location to another in the course of carrying out their duties.”
“Journalists should also be able to own houses. I was part of the NUJ leadership when the idea of establishing a journalists’ village was pursued.”
“Why can’t journalists partner with mortgage institutions to establish a housing scheme through which they can acquire houses and pay gradually? I doubt whether the average journalist earns enough to purchase land, build a house or buy an existing property outright.”
ON JOB INSECURITY AND PENSION FRAUD:
“Job security is another major concern. It is difficult to find journalists who have spent 35 years working in the same media organisation.”
“The pension system also depends largely on the salaries workers earn during their employment. If your salary is low, your pension contributions will also be low.”
ON BAD LABOUR REPORTING:
“Labour reporting is not all about strikes. I repeat, it is not all about strikes.”
“It is unprofessional to invite a labour leader to a television programme and describe members of their union as lackeys or stenographers.”
“An agreement that cannot be implemented is merely a piece of paper.”
ON MINIMUM WAGE – APRIL 2027 IS SACROSANCT:
“As we look towards the next minimum wage negotiation, I want to emphasise that discussions should commence well ahead of April 2027 implementation date in accordance with the 2019 Minimum Wage Principal Act that was signed into law on April 19”
“The subsequent 2024 amendment increased the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 and reduced the review period from five years to three years.”
“You cannot give workers ₦70,000 as relief for six months and expect them to return to poverty when the period expires.”
ON THE ECONOMY – PAY WORKERS, GROW NIGERIA:
“If the government, whether this administration or any subsequent one, places workers at the centre of its economic policies, the Nigerian economy will perform better.”
“If Nigeria produces crude oil, why can’t we first meet domestic consumption needs before exporting the remaining quantity?”
“If the budget was based on an oil benchmark of about $65 to $70 per barrel, and crude oil is selling at approximately $110 or more, what is happening to the additional revenue?”
FINAL WARNING – IF NLC DIES, EVERYONE DIES:
“If the labour movement collapses today, all of us will become victims.”
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