Labour defends ₦70,000 minimum wage as historic win, urges government to tame inflation

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have said that the new minimum wage of N70,000 is a major step forward, even though the country is still battling inflation and low purchasing power.

Speaking at a press briefing during the just-ended International Labour Conference in Geneva, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and TUC President, Festus Osifo, said the 130% increase from the former N30,000 minimum wage was a big achievement.

They also noted that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that wage talks were completed within a three-year cycle.

Ajaero said for the N70,000 wage to have real impact, the Federal Government must urgently tackle the high inflation rate.

He explained that while the wage hike looks good on paper, its value will drop if inflation continues to rise.

“Yes, the new wage is more than double the old one. But if prices of goods and services keep going up, workers won’t feel the benefit,” he said.

He also recalled that inflation affected workers even when the minimum wage was N18,000 and N30,000.

What’s worse now, he said, is the falling value of the naira, which has made life even harder for Nigerians.

Ajaero highlighted one of the key gains from the recent negotiations—the introduction of a “wage award” before the new minimum wage was agreed.

This, he said, is a new idea that helped workers while talks were ongoing.

Osifo added that many states have already started paying the new wage, which shows good progress.

However, he criticized some governors for adjusting workers’ salaries without proper talks, choosing figures that were not agreed upon with unions.

He encouraged union branches in each state to take up the fight for full and fair implementation.

He also warned that it’s not just the national labour bodies that should act when states fail to comply. Local unions, he said, must take the lead in making sure their members get the wages they deserve.