The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for immediate negotiations on a new national wage benchmark, saying inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the ₦70,000 minimum wage.
NLC President Joe Ajaero made the demand in an Independence Day statement, warning that rising costs of food, transportation, housing, education and other essential services had significantly reduced workers’ real incomes.
Ajaero described the erosion of workers’ purchasing power as a survival crisis and called for an immediate nationwide wage award for workers at the federal, state and local government levels as an emergency measure to cushion the impact of inflation.
“The current ₦70,000 minimum wage was already destroyed by inflation before it was implemented,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to establish a tripartite committee and conclude negotiations on a new national wage standard for 2027 before the end of the year.
The labour centre also called for urgent measures to reduce petrol and transportation costs, saying rising transport fares were contributing to increases in food prices, school fees, rents and other household expenses.
Ajaero further demanded the implementation of tax relief measures agreed by the government and labour during their October 2023 dialogue.
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 public infrastructure.
It said inadequate public services were forcing households to bear additional costs.
The labour centre linked the country’s economic difficulties to insecurity, saying violence had disrupted farming, education and access to essential services while worsening poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Ajaero urged the government to create more economic opportunities for young Nigerians and address conditions contributing to desperation and irregular migration.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the NLC president also urged political actors to respect voters’ choices and warned against electoral manipulation, voter intimidation and the use of ethnic or religious rhetoric to deepen divisions.
He said the labour movement would remember politicians who ignored workers’ demands and political parties that failed to fulfil promises made before elections.
Ajaero said the NLC would, at the appropriate time, use its Workers’ Charter to articulate policies and political choices relevant to workers’ interests.
He, however, stressed that workers’ organisations should not be treated as electoral tools, maintaining that workers retained the right to make independent political choices.
The NLC president reaffirmed the congress’s commitment to decent wages, safe workplaces, accountability in governance and effective use of public resources for the benefit of Nigerians.
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