66TH INDEPENDENCE: NLC DEMANDS NEW MINIMUM WAGE, PETROL PRICE REDUCTION
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The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for an immediate reduction in the price of petrol, the implementation of a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, citing the erosion of workers’ purchasing power amid rising living costs.
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 labour centre said the measures had become necessary as Nigerians continued to face rising costs of transportation, food, housing and education.
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It attributed much of the worsening cost-of-living crisis to the increase in petrol prices following the removal of the fuel subsidy in 2023.
According to the NLC, petrol now sells for about N1,430 per litre or more in major cities, with prices significantly higher in remote areas.
It said the increase in fuel prices had triggered higher transportation costs, which in turn had pushed up the prices of food, school fees, rent and other essential goods and services, while workers’ wages had failed to keep pace with inflation.
The union urged the Federal Government to urgently address the impact of fuel costs on transportation and other sectors of the economy, arguing that efforts to ease the hardship would remain ineffective without tackling the chain of price increases.
The NLC also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award for workers at the federal, state and local government levels.
It described the wage award as an emergency measure to cushion the decline in workers’ real incomes, rather than an act of charity.
The demand followed the October 2023 agreement between the Federal Government and organised labour after the removal of the petrol subsidy. The agreement provided for a N35,000 monthly wage award for federal workers and encouraged consideration of similar relief for state and local government employees.
The labour union further accused the government of failing to fully implement tax relief measures contained in the October 2023 Memorandum of Understanding with organised labour.
It urged the government to honour the agreed tax relief measures and accelerate negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The NLC argued that the current N70,000 minimum wage had already been eroded by inflation and called for the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to develop and legislate a new wage structure for 2027 before the end of the year.
President Bola Tinubu approved the N70,000 national minimum wage in July 2024 and stated 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 critical infrastructure, including roads, hospitals and schools.
The union said government officials must lead by example by cutting waste and extravagance, particularly when workers were being asked to make sacrifices because of economic difficulties.
On the petrol subsidy, the NLC questioned the extent to which savings from its removal had translated into improved infrastructure and social services.
The labour centre recalled that the Federal Government had said subsidy removal would free resources for infrastructure and social interventions, but argued that petrol prices had risen significantly without corresponding improvements in public services.
The NLC also criticised Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products and called for greater investment in domestic refining capacity.
It noted that despite Nigeria’s status as one of Africa’s major oil producers, the country still relied heavily on imported refined petroleum products, while domestic refining had remained inadequate.
On social welfare, the union demanded affordable and quality public education, functional healthcare facilities and improved road networks, saying these were essential to reducing pressure on households and boosting economic productivity.
The NLC also expressed concern over youth unemployment and migration, urging the government to create meaningful economic opportunities that would encourage young Nigerians to remain in the country.
It said desperate journeys through the Sahara and Mediterranean should not become a major avenue through which young Nigerians seek a better future.
The labour centre further linked insecurity to the country’s economic challenges, noting that violence had disrupted farming, education and healthcare services.
It said insecurity, poverty, unemployment and inequality were interconnected problems that required greater attention to the fair distribution of economic opportunities and resources.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the NLC called for workers to be allowed to make independent political choices and warned against electoral manipulation, voter intimidation and rhetoric capable of fuelling ethnic or religious tensions.
Ajaero said the NLC would, at the appropriate time, use its proposed Workers’ Charter to state its positions on policies and political candidates, while insisting that workers’ organisations should not be treated merely as instruments for electoral mobilisation.
The union said its priorities remained decent wages, safe working conditions, accountability and the protection of workers’ welfare.
It added that collective action and organisation by citizens remained important to efforts aimed at addressing the country’s economic and social challenges.
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