The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is seeking an immediate reduction in the price of petrol, a nationwide wage award, and the commencement of negotiations on a new national minimum wage, warning that the rising cost of living has eroded workers’ purchasing power.
The NLC issued these demands on Wednesday in an Independence Day statement signed by its president, Joe Ajaero, titled “Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take.”
According to the union, these demands had become essential because workers and other Nigerians keep struggling with the rising costs of transportation, food, rent, and education.
It specifically tied the worsening cost-of-living crisis to the rise in petrol prices that followed the removal of the subsidy in 2023.
“Petrol now sells at N1,430 per liter 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 contended that the federal government ought to urgently tackle how fuel costs are passed on to transportation and other sectors of the economy.
“Unless this chain is broken, every attempt to relieve the people’s suffering will be in vain,” it stated.
The NLC further called for the prompt rollout of a nationwide wage award for employees across federal, state, and local governments, framing it as an emergency measure in response to falling real incomes rather than an act of charity.
“A wage award is not charity. It is an emergency intervention against the collapse of real income,” the union said.
The union contended that the federal government ought to urgently tackle how fuel costs are passed on to transportation and other sectors of the economy.
“Unless this chain is broken, every attempt to relieve the people’s suffering will be in vain,” it stated.
The NLC further called for the prompt rollout of a nationwide wage award for employees across federal, state, and local governments, framing it as an emergency measure in response to falling real incomes rather than an act of charity.
“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.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved the current national minimum wage of N70,000, stating at the time that it would be reviewed after three years.
The NLC further demanded a cut in the cost of governance, more transparency in public spending, and higher 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.
Speaking on the petrol subsidy, the labor center questioned what it described as the failure to translate savings from the policy into improved infrastructure and social services.
“The 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.
In October 2023, the federal government and labor had reached an agreement that subsidy-related measures would encompass wage support, tax incentives, CNG buses, and other interventions designed to ease the policy’s effects.
The NLC further faulted Nigeria’s ongoing dependence on imported refined petroleum products while urging more investment in refining capacity within the country.
It stated, “Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, depends on imported refined petroleum, while domestic refining capacity has been systematically neglected, except for the efforts of a few private refineries.”
Regarding social welfare, the union pushed for affordable, quality public education, working healthcare facilities, and better road infrastructure, contending that these were needed to ease the burden on households and boost economic productivity.
The NLC likewise expressed concern about youth unemployment and migration, stating that the government needs to create opportunities that would give young Nigerians a reason to stay 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 went on to connect insecurity with the country’s economic troubles, contending that violence had disrupted farming, education, and healthcare delivery. It stated that insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and inequality were intertwined issues that demanded focus on how economic opportunities and resources are distributed.
Turning to the 2027 general elections, the NLC insisted that workers must be free to make their own political choices and cautioned against electoral rigging, voter intimidation, and language that could stir ethnic or religious tensions.
The union noted that it would employ its proposed Workers’ Charter to spell out its stands on policies and candidates when the time was right, while emphasizing that workers’ organizations ought not to be viewed simply as tools for elections.
“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’ organizations as dispensable electoral tools. Workers have the right to independent political thoughts, judgement, and choice.”
The NLC stated that 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 organize, who struggle, and who choose their own destiny,” the statement added.
