The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has revealed that the NLC accepted a N70,000 minimum wage to avoid a further increase in fuel prices during negotiations with President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking on Arise Television, Ajaero explained that the NLC initially demanded a N250,000 minimum wage but faced resistance from the government, which proposed raising the minimum wage to N250,000 only if the petrol price was increased. To shield workers from additional financial strain caused by rising fuel costs, the NLC settled for N70,000 without any fuel price hike.
Ajaero also expressed disappointment with the government’s handling of the transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol. While labour had negotiated a N300,000 vehicle conversion cost, the government later raised it to N800,000, stalling the plan.
He urged the government to address workers’ concerns about inflation, transportation costs, and the overall impact of high fuel prices on their livelihoods, warning that many workers are struggling to cope despite the wage increase.
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