Amid NLC strike, the organized labour and the Federal Government are locked in a dispute regarding the commencement schedule for national minimum wage negotiations, as the Nigeria Labour Congress rejects the administration’s legal interpretation and demands immediate preparations.
The disagreement stems from an exchange between NLC President Joe Ajaero and Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Muhammad Dingyadi concerning the review timeline for the N70,000 minimum wage implemented in July 2024.
In an October 13, 2026 letter, Ajaero countered the government’s position that initiating a review is premature, asserting that the 2019 National Minimum Wage Act’s statutory schedule remains unaffected by the 2024 adjustment.
He stated that the tripartite committee on the national minimum wage—comprising representatives from the government, organized labor, and employers—should be constituted immediately to begin nominating candidates.
“The time is now. The appropriate time is now,” NLC president, Ajaero said in the letter shared on Thursday, arguing that delaying the process would worsen the hardship facing Nigerian workers.
His response comes a day after Dingyadi acknowledged receipt of a communiqué stemming from a joint session of the NLC’s National Executive Council and Central Working Committee via a letter dated October 12.
The minister noted that the current minimum wage is scheduled for review on June 1, 2027, arguing that initiating another revision merely two years after the implementation of the N70,000 wage would be premature and counterproductive to industrial harmony.
This latest disagreement unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying pressure from organized labor regarding soaring living costs and the severe erosion of workers’ purchasing power.
Read Also: Tinubu Government Is Aloof, Does Not Engage With NLC- Ajaero
Backstory…
Tensions causing the NLC strike intensified in September 2026 as public-sector unions renewed demands for urgent relief from rising living costs.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council gave the Federal Government a September 30 deadline to reduce petrol prices, introduce a wage award and begin preparations for a new minimum wage.
It threatened a three-day warning strike from October 2 if the government failed to address its demands. The NLC subsequently issued its own two-week ultimatum on October 8, demanding a reduction in petrol prices to their level when the current minimum wage was signed into law, alongside the commencement of fresh wage negotiations.
Read Also: NLC Issues 2-Week Ultimatum To FG Over Petrol Prices, New Minimum Wage
