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Nigeria’s Minimum Wage Talks: What Happened Behind the Scenes

In a recent interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), revealed the reasons why organized labour settled for N70,000 as the new minimum wage during the national minimum wage talks at the President Villa, Abuja. According to Ajaero, the NLC team rejected an offer to increase the price of petroleum products in exchange for the lower wage.

During the interview, Ajaero explained that the labour union had agreed to discuss the CNG alternative with the president, with a planned conversion cost of N300,000. However, the government team later announced that the same conversion would cost N800,000, contradicting the earlier agreement. This stalemate led to the NLC accepting the N70,000 minimum wage as the best option.

Ajaero also shared a heated exchange with President Bola Tinubu during the negotiations. According to the NLC boss, the president offered to increase the price of petroleum products, but only if labour agreed to accept the N70,000 minimum wage. This, Ajaero deemed unacceptable, and the two parties adjourned for a week to reconvene with a clear understanding that the only issue to be discussed was the minimum wage.

As Ajaero puts it, “We didn’t have any mandate to discuss the price of petroleum products or increase; we were only there to discuss minimum wage, and based on that, we accepted 70,000 (Naira)”. The NLC’s decision has sparked debate about the real options available for Nigeria’s workers and the long-term implications of this latest development.

In the face of economic uncertainty, it remains to be seen how this new minimum wage will affect Nigeria’s working class and how the government will respond to the voices of the labour movement. As Ajaero’s words echo through the halls of power, one thing is clear: the battle for fair wages and better working conditions is far from over.