NLC Fumes, Reacts After Tinubu Disappointed Them With His Minimum Wage Announcement

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has responded to President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, expressing disappointment that he did not deliver the anticipated new minimum wage announcement on June 12.

Acting NLC President, Comrade Prince Adewale Adeyanju, reacted on behalf of the union, acknowledging that while the President accurately recounted parts of Nigeria’s democratic journey, he seemed misinformed about the wage negotiation process’s outcome.

Adeyanju highlighted the NLC’s expectation that the President would harmonize the figures submitted by the Tripartite Committee in favor of the workers, which would have been a fitting Democracy Day gift.

In his speech, President Tinubu stated: “As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you. In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less. In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict. No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution.”

Adeyanju appreciated the President’s commitment to democratic ideals, which allowed the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee’s work to proceed despite challenges. He expressed disappointment, however, that the President did not use his understanding of the workers’ struggle to harmonize the figures in their favor.

According to Adeyanju, the NLC expected that the President’s advisers would have informed him that there was no agreement on the base figure for a National Minimum Wage or its components. The NLC’s demand remains N250,000, and they have not received any compelling reasons to change this position.

“We are therefore surprised at the submission of Mr. President over a supposed agreement. We believe that he may have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and TUC. There was none, and it is important that we let the President, Nigerians, and other national stakeholders understand this immediately to avoid a mix-up in the ongoing conversation around the national minimum wage. We have also not seen a copy of the document submitted to him and will not accept any doctored document.”

Adeyanju reaffirmed the NLC’s belief that the President would prepare an Executive Bill reflecting the true demands of Nigerian workers. He urged the President to ignore advice from those aiming to harm the poor and struggling workers of Nigeria and to fulfill his promise of lifting workers out of poverty.

“President’s advisers obviously did not tell him the truth that the leaders of the trade unions were intimidated and harassed. It is therefore important that Mr. President understands that we were threatened severally by his operatives, perhaps without his consent.”

Adeyanju also noted that media propaganda aimed at intimidating the trade unions and the presence of armed soldiers during negotiations contradicted the government’s assurances. However, he remains hopeful that the President’s democratic values will favor Nigerian workers and the masses.

“It is also important that Mr. President should know that most of his officers are working round the clock to set up the leadership of congress and the trade unions. We never agreed on a 5-year duration of the minimum wage Act though we acknowledge that the President mentioned 5 years or less. We also agreed that inflation should be pegged at a level for a certain amount to be agreed as a minimum wage. This is to bring clarity to what the report should contain.”

The NLC insists that Nigerian workers will not accept a minimum wage that equates to a starvation wage. They seek justice, equity, and fairness for all Nigerians, and urge the President to fulfill his promise of a living wage, demonstrating that he listens to Nigerians.

“Together, we can build a stronger democratic nation based on equity which guarantees prosperity to the majority of the citizenry and not one where few individuals monopolize our collective resources. That is the only way to build a sustainable democracy. It is the true democracy that we all yearn for as a people!”