The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has signalled the commencement of fresh negotiations with the Federal Government over a new national minimum wage, declaring that the current N70,000 wage can no longer sustain Nigerian workers.
NLC President Joe Ajaero, represented by the union’s Deputy President, Audu Titus Amba, disclosed this on Thursday at the Rights of Workers Summit in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
Ajaero urged workers to prepare for another round of wage negotiations, arguing that soaring inflation and the rising cost of living had rendered the existing minimum wage inadequate.
He said workers now needed a minimum wage of at least N500,000 to meet their basic needs.
“Anything less than N500,000 cannot cater for workers. The current minimum wage is due for review, and we will soon begin negotiations with the government,” he said.
The NLC President’s position was echoed by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), whose President, Festus Osifo, was represented at the summit by the Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro.
Osifo said the worsening economic situation had severely eroded workers’ purchasing power, making it increasingly difficult for employees to cope with everyday expenses.
He pointed to soaring food prices, transportation costs, rent and persistent inflation as major factors that had weakened the value of workers’ earnings.
The push for a new wage comes barely two years after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Minimum Wage Bill into law on July 29, 2024, increasing the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 monthly.
The 2024 legislation, which followed negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour, also provided for the review of the national minimum wage every three years.
