The Nigeria Labour Congress has maintained its two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government over rising petrol prices and renewed minimum wage negotiations, warning that Nigerian workers continue to struggle despite the implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this on Monday in Abuja, where he called on the government to take urgent steps to ease workers’ financial difficulties rather than wait for industrial action.

Ajaero spoke amid growing concerns over the rising cost of living and the declining purchasing power of workers, arguing that current earnings were increasingly inadequate to cover basic necessities, including food and transportation.

The labour leader stressed that the congress’s ultimatum remained in force, noting that discussions with government officials had not resolved the issues raised by organised labour.

“I’ve not come here to discuss my ultimatum. My ultimatum stands,” Ajaero said, adding that the meeting was not the appropriate forum for negotiations on the matter.

He urged the government to recognise the hardship facing workers and take measures that would prevent further deterioration in their living conditions.

According to him, the pressure on household incomes has become so severe that workers are struggling to afford both transportation and food.

“The point we are making is not strike. The point we are making is that whether you enter bus or you buy fuel, you will not be able to eat,” he said.

Ajaero argued that governments should introduce interventions to cushion the effects of economic hardship before disagreements with labour unions escalate into strikes or protests.

He maintained that waiting for workers to take to the streets before responding to their concerns was not a proactive approach to industrial relations.

The NLC had issued a two-week ultimatum demanding a reduction in petrol prices and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, citing the impact of rising living costs on workers’ earnings.

The congress is seeking a reduction in petrol prices to the level prevailing when the current minimum wage was signed into law in 2024.

NLC QUESTIONS IMPLEMENTATION OF MINIMUM WAGE

The NLC president also criticised the salary adjustments implemented following the 2024 minimum wage negotiations, disputing claims that federal workers received increases of between 100 and 133 per cent.

According to Ajaero, the government added N40,000 to the salaries of federal public servants, an adjustment he said did not amount to the percentage increases being attributed to the agreement.

He argued that the approach had failed to provide adequate relief, particularly as inflation and higher transportation costs continued to erode workers’ purchasing power.

Ajaero also raised concerns about unresolved labour disputes, recalling an 84-day strike by health sector workers that was suspended following the intervention of organised labour.

He said several issues that led to the industrial action remained unresolved more than a year after the intervention.

The labour leader further disclosed that members of the National Public Service Negotiating Council had considered embarking on industrial action but were persuaded by labour leaders to suspend their plans.

He rejected suggestions that organised labour was acting at the prompting of politicians, describing such allegations as an insult to workers seeking better living conditions.

“No politician can use us. That’s the greatest insult, to tell me at this age and time, you know, to say a politician is using you when you ask for increase of workers’ salaries,” he said.

Ajaero urged government officials and the leadership of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to take workers’ concerns seriously and pursue practical solutions to the growing economic pressures.

AKUME CALLS FOR BALANCE BETWEEN WAGES AND GOVERNMENT FINANCES

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, called for a balance between workers’ demands for better remuneration and the government’s ability to meet its financial obligations.

Akume, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Abubakar Kana, said wage decisions must reflect prevailing economic conditions while supporting national development and industrial harmony.

“The commission must continually balance the legitimate expectations of workers with the fiscal realities of government and broader imperatives of national economic development,” he said.

The SGF noted that ongoing economic reforms, increasing public expectations and the approaching 2027 general elections had made the development of a fair and sustainable wage system increasingly important.

He urged the commission to strengthen its capacity to anticipate emerging wage challenges and develop recommendations based on credible economic data and consultations with workers, employers and other stakeholders.

Akume identified improved policy coordination, digital transformation and effective implementation of institutional reforms as priorities for the commission.

He also warned against avoidable industrial disputes, emphasising the importance of dialogue and cooperation in maintaining economic stability.

“A credible and inclusive approach towards governance is indispensable to building trust, preventing avoidable industrial disputes like we’re about to have now, and promoting a stable environment for national development,” he said.

He called for stronger research, improved data management and clearer implementation timelines, urging the commission’s board and management to ensure that decisions reached during the retreat translated into measurable improvements.

WAGES COMMISSION SEEKS DATA-DRIVEN POLICIES

Earlier, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Junaidu Bindawa, said prevailing economic conditions required a more strategic approach to wage administration.

Bindawa noted that inflation, changing labour expectations and the need for greater public sector efficiency had increased the importance of sustainable salary policies.

He explained that wage administration affects workers’ welfare, public expenditure, industrial relations, productivity and the overall performance of the public service.

“Our work must reflect a careful balance between the legitimate expectation of workers, the imperatives of productivity and social justice, and the fiscal capacity of government,” he said.

The commission’s retreat, themed Vision, Strategy and Institutional Renewal, was designed to strengthen its capacity to address emerging wage and compensation issues.

Bindawa identified research, job evaluation, compensation management, public finance, industrial harmony and institutional accountability as key areas requiring attention.

He also called for stronger collaboration between the commission’s board and management, improved internal systems and the adoption of digital tools to support evidence-based decisions.

According to him, the retreat should produce a practical roadmap with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.

In her welcome remarks, the commission’s Secretary, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, called for a shift from emergency-driven wage reviews to a permanent system based on reliable data and evidence.

She recalled previous wage review exercises conducted through temporary commissions, including the Morgan Commission of 1964, the Adebo Commission of 1971 and the Udoji Commission of 1974.

Okoya-Thomas said the establishment of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission in 1993 provided a permanent institutional framework for advising the government on salaries, allowances and national incomes policy.

“We exist so that wage decisions rest on evidence, not emergencies,” she said.

She acknowledged that the 2024 minimum wage more than doubled the previous statutory rate but stressed that future wage decisions must remain fair, evidence-based and financially sustainable.

The commission plans to examine data reliability, fair remuneration, social dialogue, institutional capacity and governance during the retreat.

Okoya-Thomas added that the commission would develop an action plan aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria Agenda 2050 and the Medium-Term National Development Plan for 2027 to 2030.

The plan, she said, would outline responsibilities, implementation timelines and performance indicators, with the commission’s monitoring and evaluation division tracking progress.

HEAD OF SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS

Also speaking, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abel Enitan, said improving workers’ welfare, strengthening institutional efficiency and modernising government operations were essential to national development.

Enitan described salary administration as a matter of national interest, noting that the civil service and the wages commission shared responsibilities for improving working conditions and public sector performance.

He said the government was prioritising capacity development and the digitisation of civil service operations, with the goal of establishing a fully paperless working environment.

Enitan linked the reforms to President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, arguing that the target would require a productive and adequately equipped workforce.

“It is achievable. Just that the workforce must be mobilised behind that agenda,” he said.

He identified efficiency, productivity, integrity and citizen-centred service delivery as essential features of a modern civil service.

Enitan expressed confidence that the retreat would produce recommendations to improve wage administration, strengthen workers’ welfare and support the broader public service reform programme.

Source: Punch Newspapers.