By Abimbola Ogunnaike, Ikeja
Workers from Radio Lagos, Eko FM, Traffic Radio, and Lagos Television on Monday, 13 January, 2025 staged a peaceful protest over their non inclusion in the payment of national minimum wage by the state government.
They appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to migrate them immediately to a payment system that ensures timely salary payments and compliance with the newly implemented national minimum wage.
Their call for action highlights the ongoing struggle for fair compensation in the media sector.
The workers blocked the entrance and exit to the Agidingbi complex of the broadcast stations, displaying placards with different inscriptions, such as: “Give us Oracle and take revenue generated”, “Oracle is the answer, it’s all we need”, “Pay us Minimum Wage,” among others.
Some of the workers, who spoke to thegazellenews.com on the condition of anonymity, said that they want from the state government is for it to extend implementation the new minimum wage to them like their counterparts in the civil service.
“What we want from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is for him to extend the implementation of the new minimum wage to us like the state civil servants. We are workers too and we too are feeling the pain of the economic hardship most people are currently facing in the country,” one of the protesting workers, who simply addressed himself as comrade, told thegazellenews.com.
The workers in with the backing of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Lagos State chapter shut down normal operations of Lagos Television, Eko FM/Radio Lagos and Lagos Traffic Radio to protest the non-implementation of the N85,000 minimum wage.
NLC, in collaboration with workers of the broadcast stations under the aegis of Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria, RATTAWU, picketed the station, also demanded to be placed on Oracle System of salary payment.
It was gathered that the workers, few weeks ago, notified the management of the broadcast stations of their readiness to down tools once the stations failed to implement the minimum wage being implemented by the Lagos State Government.
The workers were led in their solidary songs by state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Funmi Sessi.
“We started in a peaceful manner, and we are going to end it in a peaceful manner. Nobody is going to push us to the wall.
“I assure everybody that we shall be peaceful because we are Lagosians.
“You can see the workers of government in communication departments that is LTV, Eko FM, Traffic Radio, all here to show their displeasure against the injustice that is being meted out to them.
“They work to the best of their abilities and now at the receiving end by being short changed by not receiving the new minimum wage as approved and agreed by the law set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“This is an injustice to this set of workers. The managements have been given the mandate to pay the minimum wage that has been announced by the Lagos State Government. They are Lagos State workers.
“Since the government has commenced implementation of the N85,000 minimum wage in November they have never collected the minimum wage.
“The arrears of the three months and the 13th months: they have not been enjoying the benefits. So, why this disparity for these set of workers even in the face of this hardship.
“The leadership of their union had engaged the management previously. They gave a-21-day notice to dialogue,” Seesi told newsmen.
As at 5 pm on Monday, 13 January, 2025, police vehicles were seen stationed in the main gate of the broadcast stations to maintain law and other.
