Nigeria @66: NLC Demands New Minimum Wage, Lower Petrol Prices

The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.

The NLC made the demands in an Independence Day statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, as Nigeria marked its 66th anniversary on Thursday.

The labour centre said the demands had become necessary as workers and other Nigerians continued to face rising costs of transportation, food, rent, education and other basic necessities.

The NLC specifically linked the worsening cost-of-living pressures to the increase in petrol prices following the removal of the fuel subsidy in 2023.

According to the union, petrol was selling for about N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities, with prices reportedly increasing further in remote areas.

The labour body argued that high petrol prices had increased transportation costs, which in turn affected the prices of food, school fees, rent and other essential goods and services.

It therefore called on the Federal Government to urgently find ways of reducing petrol prices, describing transportation costs as a major channel through which fuel prices affect inflation.

The NLC also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award for workers in the federal, state and local governments.

It described the wage award as an emergency intervention required to cushion the impact of declining real incomes rather than a permanent substitute for adequate wages.

On minimum wage, the union called for the immediate constitution of a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national wage standard for 2027.

The NLC argued that the current N70,000 minimum wage had already been significantly eroded by inflation and rising living costs.

The union also demanded the implementation of tax relief measures contained in the October 2023 agreement reached between the Federal Government and organised labour following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

It further called for a reduction in the cost of governance and greater transparency in public spending, while urging increased investment in roads, hospitals, schools and other social infrastructure.

The NLC said government must create conditions that would improve workers’ purchasing power and reduce the economic pressures facing households.

The labour centre also urged the government to address insecurity, which it said was compounding economic difficulties and affecting farmers, workers and businesses.

It called for policies that would promote decent wages, employment, social protection and improved living conditions as Nigeria moves into its 67th year of independence.