French President, Emmanuel Macron, yesterday announced that the minimum wage in the country would be increased by an additional €100 starting early 2019.
The promise is part of the President’s concession speech which he made on live television in a bid to calm down and appease the yellow-vested protesters who, for many days, protested against Macron’s economic policies whilst calling for his resignation.
Speaking further, the President said the wage increment will not come at any extra costs to employers. More so, pensioners who earn less than €2,000 would not be taxed based on the recently increased tax system for Social Security.
“We want a France where one can live in dignity through one’s work and on this we have gone too slowly. I ask the government and parliament to do what is necessary.”
“We will respond to the economic and social urgency with strong measures, by cutting taxes more rapidly, by keeping our spending under control, but not with U-turns.” – Macron
Meanwhile, in Nigeria the Government is reluctant to pay N30,000 as minimum wage
It is rather interesting how the French President easily gave in to the ‘yellow vest” protesters. He sincerely apologised for giving the protesters “the impression that he had other priorities.” He then took responsibility for the situation and is now doing everything he possibly can to assuage the grievances of his citizens.
Note that all these are just because of some protests in the streets of Paris. Meanwhile, Nigerians have, for long, been agitating for an increase in minimum wage and an overall betterment in their standard of living but all to no avail.
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, recently said their members were becoming impatient over the Government’s refusal to meet the new minimum wage demands.
Nigeria is one of the countries that pay the least in terms of minimum wage. This is the case despite the fact that it is one of the world’s top crude oil producers. It can not even learn from South Africa who recently increased its own minimum wage to N126,480.