Labour gives FG Tuesday to resolve wage, fuel prices

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have threatened possible nationwide action over unresolved workers’ demands, following a meeting with the Federal Government that ended without an agreement on Thursday.

Organised labour said its next move would depend on the outcome of another meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, warning that its affiliates and state councils had been directed to prepare for possible industrial action if the government failed to make meaningful progress.

The meeting, held at the Federal Ministry of Labour in Abuja, addressed demands for a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, renegotiation of the national minimum wage, implementation of agreed tax relief measures and the resolution of outstanding issues affecting health workers and other public servants.

In a joint statement signed by the NLC General Secretary, Benson Upah, and the TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, labour said the government delegation arrived without the necessary mandate to negotiate substantively on the issues.

“No concrete commitments were secured, and the outstanding issues remain unresolved,” the unions said, expressing disappointment over the outcome of the discussions.

According to the statement, the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be adjourned until October 27 to enable the government to make adequate preparations, including bringing relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to the negotiating table.

The unions said they remained committed to dialogue but would not accept what they described as indefinite delays in addressing workers’ concerns.

“We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action,” the statement added.

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Labour also urged its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to remain on alert and begin mobilisation for possible action across the country while awaiting the outcome of the next meeting.

The unions called on Nigerian workers and the general public to remain calm, expressing hope that the government would address their demands at the rescheduled meeting.

The latest development comes amid continuing concerns over the cost of living, fuel prices, workers’ purchasing power and the implementation of wage-related agreements following recent economic reforms.

Nigeria’s minimum wage was raised from N30,000 to N70,000 under the National Minimum Wage Act, 2024, after negotiations between the Federal Government, organised labour and other stakeholders. However, the unions’ latest demand for renegotiation signals that labour wants further engagement on wages and the broader economic pressures facing workers.

The unions are also pressing for the implementation of agreed tax relief measures and the resolution of outstanding issues involving the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council.

The JPSNC demands include issues relating to peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances, while the JOHESU dispute concerns outstanding terms of settlement affecting health-sector workers.

Organised labour’s threat of possible nationwide action raises the prospect of renewed industrial tension if the parties fail to reach an understanding at Tuesday’s meeting.

However, the NLC and TUC said they would attend the next session in the expectation that the government would respond to the demands, leaving a final decision on any industrial action to their respective organs.