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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has distanced itself from the negotiation of the N40,000 consequential wage adjustment granted to federal workers following the implementation of the 2024 national minimum wage, insisting that public sector unions, rather than its leadership, were responsible for the agreement.
The Congress accused unnamed individuals of deliberately misrepresenting its role in the negotiations to mislead workers and create divisions within the labour movement, particularly as preparations for another round of national minimum wage negotiations gather momentum.
In a statement issued at the weekend and signed by its Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, the NLC maintained that its responsibility was limited to negotiating the national minimum wage through the tripartite arrangement involving organised labour, government and employers, while consequential adjustments arising from its implementation remained the responsibility of unions operating in the affected sectors.
It explained that the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), comprising government representatives and about eight trade unions, negotiated the implementation of the new minimum wage and consequential adjustments for federal workers, while similar bodies handled negotiations with state governments.
According to the Congress, industrial unions in the private sector also negotiated consequential adjustments directly with employers’ associations, taking into account the peculiarities of their respective industries.
It cited the negotiations between the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees as an example of how the collective bargaining arrangement operated outside the public service.
The NLC insisted that although it represented workers across the public and private sectors, its national leadership had never directly negotiated consequential adjustments with either the government or organised private sector employers.
“Any person who attributes the outcome of consequential adjustments to the NLC is either naïve, plainly ignorant, or involved in propagating outright mischief to mislead Nigerian workers and the masses,” the statement said.
The Congress maintained that the responsibilities of the various negotiating bodies were clearly defined under Nigeria’s established collective bargaining framework, which had developed through decades of statutory practice and industrial relations traditions.
“It should be noted that throughout the history of the national minimum wage setting exercise, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has never sat down to negotiate consequential adjustment with neither the government nor the organised private sector employers.
“The JPSNC has always had that responsibility for the public sector, while the JNICs of the diverse industrial sectors have also done the same for the private sector,” it stated.
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The Congress expressed concern that attempts to attribute the outcome of the N40,000 adjustment to its leadership could obscure the responsibilities of the institutions directly involved in the negotiations and prevent workers from holding the appropriate bodies accountable.
It alleged that the controversy was being deliberately promoted to weaken the unity of organised labour ahead of fresh wage negotiations.
“We believe that this moment demands clarity and deep consciousness. The enemies of the working class are attempting to sow confusion and division within our ranks by shifting blame and obscuring the true loci of responsibility as we begin the negotiation of a new national minimum wage.
“The NLC stands firmly with the Nigerian working class and masses, and we will not allow our movement to be misrepresented by those who serve the interests of capital and exploitation,” it said.
The Congress urged workers to distinguish between the negotiation of a national minimum wage, which establishes the statutory wage floor, and consequential adjustments, which address the implications of the new wage structure for other categories of employees.
It maintained that responsibility for the latter rested with the appropriate negotiating councils and industrial unions, rather than the national leadership of the NLC.
Turning to the proposed fresh minimum wage negotiations, the Congress said workers must remain vigilant and demand accountability from the institutions charged with protecting their interests.
“The new national minimum wage is on the verge of being negotiated. This is a critical moment for Nigerian workers and the masses to take necessary steps to hold specific institutions accountable for their specific expectations,” it stated.
The NLC reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing a wage outcome that would reflect the economic realities facing Nigerian workers and move the country closer to achieving a living wage.
“The NLC will do its best to ensure that the outcome of this forthcoming exercise continues to serve Nigerian workers and masses and approximates a living wage.
“We will put adequate measures in place to ensure that consequential adjustment exercises are done by diverse institutions in creative ways for the benefit of Nigerian workers,” the statement added.
