The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to introduce an immediate wage award for workers and begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the demands in an Independence Day message on Wednesday, saying rising inflation and transportation costs had significantly reduced the purchasing power of workers.
Ajaero said the current N70,000 minimum wage had already lost substantial value to inflation, while petrol prices had risen to N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities.
He said the rising cost of transportation had triggered increases in food prices, school fees, rent and other basic necessities.
The NLC president listed the union’s immediate demands to include a nationwide wage award for workers in the federal, state and local governments.
He said the wage award should serve as an emergency intervention to cushion the impact of declining real incomes.
The union also demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, arguing that transportation costs were a major driver of inflation.
Ajaero further called for the implementation of tax reliefs agreed between the government and labour during the October 2023 dialogue, saying the incentives contained in the Memorandum of Understanding had yet to be implemented.
He urged the government to establish a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage for 2027 and ensure that the new wage structure was formulated and legislated before the end of the year.
The NLC also demanded a reduction in the cost of governance, insisting that government should demonstrate transparency and reduce what it described as waste and extravagance.
Ajaero questioned the impact of the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy removal, saying Nigerians had been told that savings from the policy would be invested in infrastructure and social services.
He also criticised Nigeria’s continued reliance on imported refined petroleum products despite being a major crude oil producer, and called for increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure.
On the 2027 general elections, the NLC president warned political actors against electoral manipulation, voter intimidation and the exploitation of ethnic and religious divisions.
He, however, said the labour movement would maintain its political independence and determine its position at the appropriate time.
Ajaero said the NLC would use its Workers’ Charter to assess policies and candidates ahead of the elections, stressing that workers had the right to make independent political choices.
He also linked insecurity to the country’s economic difficulties, noting that farmers, teachers and health workers were increasingly affected by attacks in some parts of the country.
The NLC president called for greater attention to poverty, unemployment, inequality and distributive justice, saying economic recovery could not be separated from national security.
He said the union would continue to push for better wages, safer workplaces and accountability in governance.
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