The Federal Government and organised labour have resumed negotiations over petrol prices, wage demands and other unresolved workers’ welfare issues, with the outcome expected to determine whether the unions proceed with nationwide industrial action.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, follows an earlier round of discussions on October 22 which ended without concrete agreement between the two sides.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress are demanding a reduction in petrol prices to levels prevailing in 2024, tax relief for workers, immediate wage awards and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
Labour is also seeking the resolution of outstanding agreements affecting health-sector workers and other public servants.
NLC Assistant Secretary-General, Chris Onyeka, said labour expected the Federal Government to come to the meeting with concrete responses to demands that had already been presented, rather than reopening discussions on the same issues.
“We expect them to come with answers to our demands, so that the meeting will not be prolonged,” Onyeka said.
A source within organised labour also confirmed that the government had requested additional time to prepare for the resumed talks.
A Trade Union Congress official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the outcome of the meeting would determine the unions’ next course of action.
The talks come after the labour unions extended an ultimatum to the Federal Government following the failure of the October 22 meeting to produce an agreement. The unions had warned that their affiliates and state councils should prepare for possible nationwide action if meaningful progress was not achieved.
One of the major areas of disagreement is the timing of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The current minimum wage of N70,000 was introduced in 2024 after the Federal Government, organised labour and other stakeholders reached an agreement that raised the statutory minimum wage from N30,000.
The Federal Government maintains that the current wage is due for review in June 2027 under the three-year review cycle provided by the National Minimum Wage Act, while the NLC wants preparations for a fresh review to commence immediately.
Labour argues that rising inflation, petrol prices and the cost of essential goods and services have significantly reduced workers’ purchasing power despite the increase in the statutory minimum wage.
Petrol prices are another major point of contention. The NLC wants prices reduced to the levels that prevailed when the N70,000 minimum wage was signed into law in 2024, arguing that higher fuel costs have increased transportation and living expenses.
The unions are also demanding the implementation of previously agreed tax relief measures and immediate wage awards to cushion workers from rising living costs.
Other outstanding issues include agreements involving health-sector workers and demands by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council concerning peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
Meanwhile, the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to pay eligible retirees three months of outstanding fuel-subsidy palliatives totalling N75,000.
The pensioners also called for improved access to healthcare benefits and better support for elderly and physically incapacitated retirees facing difficulties with verification and enrolment procedures.
With the October 27 meeting now underway, labour’s position is that its next move will depend largely on whether the Federal Government presents concrete proposals capable of resolving the outstanding issues.
A failure to reach meaningful progress could heighten the possibility of industrial action, while an agreement could provide a basis for further negotiations between the government and organised labour.