Nigeria @66: NLC demands new minimum wage, lower petrol prices

The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded an immediate reduction in the price of petrol, a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, warning that rising living costs have eroded workers’ purchasing power.

The NLC made the demands in an Independence Day statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, titled, “Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take.”

The union said the demands had become necessary as workers and other Nigerians continued to grapple with rising transportation, food, rent, and education costs.

It particularly linked the worsening cost-of-living crisis to the increase in petrol prices following the removal of the subsidy in 2023.

“Petrol now sells at N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and far more in remote areas. The surge in transportation costs drives up the prices of food, school fees, rent, and nearly every necessity of life, while nominal wages remain stagnant,” the NLC said.

The union argued that the Federal Government should urgently address the transmission of fuel costs to transportation and other areas of the economy. “Without cutting this chain, any effort to ease the suffering of the people is futile,” it said.

The NLC also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award covering workers in the federal, state and local governments, describing the measure as an emergency response to declining real incomes rather than a form of charity.

“A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” the union said.

The demand comes against the backdrop of the October 2023 agreement between the Federal Government and organised labour following the removal of the petrol subsidy. The agreement provided for a N35,000 monthly wage award for federal workers and called for consideration of similar relief for state and local government workers.

The NLC further accused the government of failing to fully implement tax relief measures contained in the October 2023 Memorandum of Understanding with labour. It called on the government to deliver the tax relief agreed during the dialogue and expedite negotiations for a new national minimum wage.

“The current N70,000 minimum wage was already destroyed by inflation before it was implemented,” the union said, demanding the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to formulate and legislate a new wage standard for 2027 before the end of the year.

The current N70,000 national minimum wage was approved by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024, with the President saying at the time that it would be reviewed after three years.

The NLC also called for a reduction in the cost of governance, greater transparency in public spending and increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other social infrastructure.

“When workers are asked to tighten their belts, the extravagance and waste of the governing class are unacceptable. Government must lead by example,” it said.

On the petrol subsidy, the labour centre questioned what it described as the failure to translate savings from the policy into improved infrastructure and social services.

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“Government claimed subsidy removal would free up resources for infrastructure and social services. Three years later, petrol prices have multiplied several times over, yet the promised infrastructure and social services remain mirages. Where exactly did the subsidy savings go?” the union asked.

The Federal Government and labour had agreed in October 2023 that subsidy-related measures would include wage support, tax incentives, CNG buses and other interventions intended to cushion the effects of the policy.

The NLC also criticised Nigeria’s continued reliance on imported refined petroleum products while calling for greater investment in domestic refining capacity. It said, “Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, depends on imported refined petroleum, while domestic refining capacity has been systematically neglected, except the efforts of a few private refineries.”

On social welfare, the union called for affordable and quality public education, functional healthcare facilities and improved road infrastructure, arguing that these were necessary to reduce the pressure on households and improve economic productivity.

The NLC also raised concerns over youth unemployment and migration, saying the government must create opportunities that would give young Nigerians reasons to remain in the country.

“The government must create genuine opportunities so that young people can see hope instead of being preached to about hope,” it said, adding that desperate journeys across the Sahara and Mediterranean should not remain a major source of hope for young Nigerians.

The union further linked insecurity to the country’s economic difficulties, arguing that violence had affected farming, education and healthcare delivery. It said insecurity, poverty, unemployment and inequality were interconnected challenges that required attention to the distribution of economic opportunities and resources.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the NLC said workers should be allowed to make independent political choices and warned against electoral manipulation, voter intimidation and rhetoric capable of provoking ethnic or religious tensions.

The union said it would use its proposed Workers’ Charter to articulate its positions on policies and candidates when appropriate but stressed that workers’ organisations should not be treated merely as electoral tools.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress will, at the appropriate time, use our Workers’ Charter to make it clear which policies and candidates deserve the support of the working class,” Ajaero said.

“However, we will never accept any force treating workers’ organisations as dispensable electoral tools. Workers have the right to independent political thoughts, judgement, and choice.”

The NLC said its focus would remain on decent wages, safe workplaces, accountability and the protection of workers’ welfare. “The unity and action of the masses is the only reliable force capable of changing this country. Hope belongs to those who organise, who struggle, and who choose their own destiny,” the statement added.