Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige on Sunday stated that Nigerians will not die but will adjust to the economic hardships in the country.
The minister who in a statement issued on Sunday noted that economic hardships were not peculiar to Nigeria alone but to the world at large also noted that the agitation by workers for more wages was not peculiar to Nigeria.
Ngige described the trend as a worldwide phenomenon caused by global economic shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking after receiving the Business Day “Excellence in Public Service Award” in Abuja, the Minister noted that the labour sector world over faces threats from multiple and overlapping economic crises, giving rise to the clamour by workers for more wages.
He said: “The other day that I passed through Bailey, they said airport workers were on strike, only for four days. When I passed through London, the railway workers were on strike, only for three days. They are all demanding more pay.
“Workers’ demand for more pay is not peculiar to Nigeria but the problem everywhere in the world today as a result of global economic crunch, occasioned by COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and other things that make it look like everybody will die today.”
“We will not die today. We only have to adjust both as individuals and as a country in order to survive the crunch,” he said.
On how to stem the tide of perennial strikes in the country, Ngige said the International Labour Organization recognizes “social dialogue” as the best methodology for addressing industrial issues.