The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has explained the reasons behind the organized labour’s acceptance of a N70,000 minimum wage during discussions at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. During an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Ajaero provided insight into the negotiations between the NLC and President Bola Tinubu.
Ajaero explained that during the talks, the NLC initially turned down an offer that involved an increase in the price of petroleum in exchange for a higher minimum wage. Instead, the labour movement agreed on N70,000 as the new minimum wage after extensive negotiations. He emphasized that the NLC’s focus was solely on the minimum wage issue, not on accepting a fuel price hike as part of the package.
Ajaero also revealed that after agreeing with the President on a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) alternative as a fuel option, the labour group negotiated with experts to set the conversion cost for vehicles at N300,000. However, the government team rejected this rate, proposing an increased cost of N800,000 for vehicle conversion.
The NLC, alongside the Trade Union Congress (TUC), initially pushed for a N250,000 minimum wage. However, they eventually settled for the President’s offer of N70,000. When asked if the President betrayed the NLC’s trust by not following through on previous agreements, Ajaero provided a detailed account of the discussions. He explained that the talks initially stalled at N62,000 due to objections from state representatives, which led the NLC to seek an audience with the President.
According to Ajaero, President Tinubu attempted to justify a fuel price increase by comparing Nigeria’s prices with those of other West African countries. The NLC, however, rejected the President’s offer to fund a trip for them to assess regional fuel prices. When the President proposed a higher minimum wage of N250,000 in exchange for a fuel price hike, the NLC declined, stating that they were only mandated to discuss the minimum wage, not fuel prices.
Ultimately, the NLC agreed to N70,000 as the minimum wage, maintaining their focus on wage discussions while refusing to negotiate on the price of petroleum products.
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