Media Workers Demand
Enhanced Salary
Qasim Akinreti, Lagos
The
Radio, Television and Theater Workers Union, RATTAWU, has
demanded for a 300 per cent enhanced salary for its members
across the country.
Speaking at the 2010 Joint Trade Group of RATTAWU at the Voice of
Nigeria Complex in Lagos, the Chairman of the Voice of Nigeria
Chapel of the Union, Mrs Abiodun Popoola told delegates that the
demand was a living wage to improve the basic standard of living
of media practitioners in Nigeria.
She said that media workers play critical roles in information
dissemination, education, entertainment and enlightenment.
Mrs Popoola said that the demand was based on the premise that
before major salary awards of 1974, popularly called Udoji
Award, media workers earned more than other workers in Nigeria.
According to her, the deregulation of salaries in the 1990s
affected the collective bargaining of media workers. She said
while other workers went on strike to demand for more pay,
RATTAWU sat back and later embroiled in factional crisis.
In her words “we lost out because we do not have a purposeful
leadership then, and endorsed a peaceful approach, while others
applied strike options. We asked, but we did not ask strongly
enough. This is the time to seek, look and knock.”
Assurances
In his address of welcome, the Lagos State Commissioner of
Information and Strategy, Opeyemi Bamidele, acknowledged the
tremendous role of media practitioners and agreed that the
demand for wage increase was appropriate and timely.
He gave the assurance that the Lagos state government would be
willing to pay its worker the wage increase. Bamidele was quoted
as saying “achieving a better media salary structure is very
timely and need to be considered exhaustively by all
stakeholders.
The interplay of market forces resulting from globalization has
further heightened the need to consider welfare of RATTAWU
members.”
Challenge
The commissioner noted that in recent times, the media has
abandoned its constitutional responsibility. Aside promoting the
interests of its owners, its contents do not reflect or promote
the Nigerian culture.
He said while the media was demanding better salary, the society
equally expected so much from its members.
The Joint trade group meeting was attended by delegates across
the media in Nigeria, including Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa, the
Director General, Voice Of Nigeria and President, Commonwealth
Broadcasting Association, CBA.
