Lagos Media Workers Begin 3-Day Warning Strike Over Minimum Wage Concerns

Workers’ unions in Lagos State-owned media organizations have initiated a three-day warning strike to protest the non-payment of the new minimum wage and the exclusion of their salaries from the state’s Oracle database.

The strike, led by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU), has resulted in the shutdown of operations at Lagos Television (LTV), Radio Lagos/Eko FM, and Lagos Traffic Radio. Workers are calling for fair wages, better working conditions, and integration into the state’s salary payment system.

Carrying placards with messages such as “Oracle is the answer” and “Minimum wage, a must! Our sweat is drying up,” the workers have demonstrated outside their respective offices. They also held solidarity rallies with music performances to amplify their demands.

NUJ Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, emphasized the workers’ right to fair remuneration for their role in promoting government policies. He criticized the government’s failure to meet several ultimatums and highlighted the disparity in minimum wage payments for media workers compared to other state employees. Ajayi urged the government to integrate media workers into the Oracle system, which is akin to the IPPIS system used in the Federal Civil Service.

RATTAWU Chairman, Mr. Ishola Adejumo, voiced similar concerns, stressing that the current wage structure, based on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), is unsustainable. He called for urgent action to migrate the workers to the Oracle database to ensure timely and regular salary payments.

Should the government fail to meet the workers’ demands after the warning strike, both unions have threatened to escalate the protest into an indefinite strike.