The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have announced plans to resume negotiations with the Federal Government over a new national minimum wage, saying workers can no longer cope with rising living costs and inflation.
The unions said they would push for a “genuine living wage” to replace the current framework, arguing that the existing minimum wage no longer reflects the country’s economic realities, particularly the rising costs of food, transport, housing and healthcare.
The position was contained in a joint address delivered at the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva on Monday, where the labour centres also rejected any proposal to tax the minimum wage or impose additional burdens on low-income earners.
Nigeria’s current minimum wage of N70,000 was signed into law in July 2024 following an agreement between organised labour and the Federal Government.
Although the agreement initially provided for a three-year review cycle, the government announced in January 2025 that the minimum wage would thereafter be reviewed every two years, making 2026 the next review period.
In preparation for the review, labour leaders said they would formally engage the Federal Government ahead of the July 2026 deadline to avoid the delays that characterised previous wage negotiations.
“The current Act expires early next year, and we have announced that renegotiation will commence by July 2026 to avoid the painful delays of the past. As soon as we leave here, we shall write again to the government demanding the commencement of the process for renegotiating the national minimum wage,” the unions said.
The labour leaders noted that workers are under severe pressure from inflation, currency depreciation and rising costs of essential services, insisting that official economic indicators do not reflect the realities facing most Nigerians.
They warned that taxing the minimum wage would worsen poverty and deepen economic hardship.
“We demand nothing less than a genuine living wage that reflects today’s harsh economic realities. We also demand immediate relief measures by governments at all levels until a new minimum wage is signed into law. We reject outright any attempt to tax the minimum wage or impose further burdens on the poor,” the unions stated.
The unions said the upcoming negotiations should focus on protecting workers’ real incomes rather than making only nominal wage adjustments.
They also urged federal and state governments to introduce short-term relief measures pending the conclusion of negotiations, warning that delays could heighten industrial tensions.
Beyond wage issues, organised labour highlighted broader challenges facing Nigerians, including insecurity, unemployment and rising poverty.
The unions said insecurity in several parts of the country had made commuting increasingly dangerous, with killings, abductions and displacement affecting productivity and livelihoods.
According to them, nearly 2,000 people were killed in the first quarter of the year, while millions have been displaced by violence.
They warned that worsening insecurity could force workers to remain at home as a survival strategy, escalating tensions beyond traditional labour actions if the situation is not urgently addressed.
The labour leaders also claimed that about 65 per cent of Nigerians, estimated at roughly 150 million people, are living in multidimensional poverty due to inflation, job losses and declining purchasing power.
They argued that while recent economic reforms are aimed at stabilising the economy, they have yet to improve living standards for ordinary citizens.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the unions said they were preparing a charter of demands to guide their engagement with political actors and determine their support for candidates.
They noted that only political actors committed to improved security, functional public services, wage reforms and the protection of labour rights would receive their backing.
The labour movement also expressed concerns over alleged interference in union affairs in some states, accusing certain governments of undermining democratically elected labour leadership structures.
It insisted that organised labour would resist any attempt to weaken union independence or impose external control on labour organisations.
The unions maintained that securing a wage structure that reflects economic realities and protects workers from further erosion of income remains their priority as the 2026 review approaches.
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