By Stephen Simon
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has distanced itself from negotiations that produced the ₦40,000 consequential salary adjustment for Federal Government workers, insisting that public-sector unions, rather than the labour centre, handled the discussions.
The Congress described claims that it negotiated the across-the-board adjustment as misleading and a distortion of Nigeria’s collective bargaining framework.
In a statement signed by its Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, the NLC explained that its responsibility in the national minimum wage process was different from negotiations concerning consequential adjustments to existing salary structures.
It said the national minimum wage was negotiated through a tripartite arrangement involving organised labour, government and employers’ representatives.
However, adjustments to existing salary structures were handled by relevant unions and negotiating councils in individual sectors.
Specifically, the Congress identified the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council as the body responsible for negotiating consequential adjustments affecting Federal Government employees.
The council comprises government representatives and public-sector unions which represent workers in discussions over salary structures and implementation of wage agreements.
The NLC also explained that similar arrangements existed at the state level, while industrial unions negotiated with employers’ associations in the private sector.
The clarification comes amid renewed attention to workers’ earnings following the implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024.
The Congress said the distinction was necessary to prevent misinformation and ensure that workers held the appropriate negotiating institutions accountable.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing a national minimum wage that reflects the prevailing cost of living.
