NLC Calls for New Minimum Wage and Petrol Price Cuts

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for negotiations regarding a new national minimum wage and an immediate reduction in petrol prices, as rising living costs have significantly eroded workers' purchasing power. The Chairman of the NLC made these demands in an Independence Day statement titled, “Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take.” The NLC highlighted that petrol prices have surged to N1,430 per litre or higher, exacerbating transportation costs and subsequently increasing the prices of essential goods and services.

They criticized the Federal Government for not adequately addressing the transmission of fuel costs to the economy and for failing to implement tax relief measures agreed upon in the October 2023 Memorandum of Understanding with labor. The NLC described the current N70,000 minimum wage, approved by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024, as insufficient due to inflation and demanded the establishment of a tripartite committee to formulate a new wage standard for 2027 before the year's end.