NLC seeks minimum wage for journalists in Nigeria

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that it is planning to work with media stakeholders to negotiate a uniform salary for practising journalists in Nigeria.

Ajaero said the benchmark could be further classified into those employed by the federal government, states and the private sector.

The Labour Movement has also demanded immediate inclusion of workers’ and employers’ representatives in the governing structures of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC).

Speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to the national headquarters of the National Union of Journalists, (NUJ) in Abuja, the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, expressed worries at the neglect that journalists have continued to suffer despite the risks they face in their job and the sacrifices they make in national development.

Ajaero stressed the need to work out insurance for journalists because of the risk involved in the journalism profession.

“Unlike those days when journalists would be running from one business centre to the other to send stories, today technology has made things easier. But beyond that, the welfare of journalists is being neglected. As journalists we advocate for everybody but nobody advocates for us,” he said.

“We fight for others and not for ourselves. Some media houses have not paid salaries for almost one year. I think we should all meet and talk to ourselves.

“I am advocating for a consultative machinery so that even if it is every two years we can negotiate with all media employers in the country, a minimum wage or industry salary benchmark for journalists.”

He appealed to the NUJ to join hands with the labour movement to seek ways of resolving the challenges facing journalists.

He said that the NLC would like to work with the NUJ leadership to work out ways to proffer solutions for the problems and challenges rocking the industry.

While addressing journalists harassment by security agents, Ajaero called on government to respect the sanctity of the freedom of the press and should not work against it.

He said that where a journalist flouts the law, he should be prosecuted according to the law, but should not be abducted.

While welcoming the NLC president and his delegation, the NUJ national president, Mr. Chris Isiguzo thanked Ajaero for identifying some of the key challenges facing the media profession in Nigeria.

He spoke about the issue of regulation of the media profession especially the manner online media organs spring up and the hatchet job some of them try to do.

Isiguzo said that the NUJ had proposed setting up National Ombudsman for the media to regulate the practice and also look into issues of poor remuneration bedeviling the media industry.

He said that NUJ had also proposed a Bill of Rights to protect the rights, welfare and interests of practicing journalists.

Isiguzo also called on the organised labour to carry journalists along whenever they are protesting for workers’ welfare.