Minimum Wage 2026: NLC Speaks Amid Fresh Campaign for Review of Salaries
- NLC President Joe Ajaero announced that the congress is preparing for a major nationwide struggle over the minimum wage in 2026
- Ajaero declared that NLC will simultaneously demand the creation of a national minimum pension alongside wage negotiations
- The NLC president sent a notable message to workers and pensioners ahead of what he described as ideological and economic battles
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has signalled it is gearing up for a major nationwide campaign to secure a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage, with the union also committing to fight for the creation of a national minimum pension.
As reported by Vanguard on Sunday, July 19, NLC president, Joe Ajaero, made the announcement recently during the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Source: Twitter
NLC's push for minimum pension
The event brought together workers and pensioners under the organised labour movement, according to The Punch.
Ajaero noted that discussions about worker welfare can no longer be separated from the welfare of retirees, describing it as a historical injustice that those who gave decades of service to the nation are often left to live below the poverty line.
He said:
"The Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension.
"It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement."
He pointed to the soaring cost of food, healthcare and transportation as evidence that existing pension arrangements have become inadequate, calling them "poverty wages" that strip retirees of their dignity.
Ajaero added:
"We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation.”
Minimum wage 2026: NLC leader urges unity
Furthermore, the NLC helsman told pensioners that their union, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), remains one of the congress's proud affiliates and that its battles are fully shared by organised labour.
"Your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement," he said, calling on both workers and pensioners to prepare for the ideological and economic fights ahead.
Ajaero urged pensioners to treat the newly commissioned Legacy House as more than a building, describing it as a potential hub for mobilisation and strategic action as the broader struggle takes shape.
He also demanded the immediate settlement of all outstanding pension arrears, warning that the working class must remain as united as those who profit from its labour.
Ajaero concluded:
"Those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
Source: Twitter
In July 2024, the minimum wage rose from N30,000 to N70,000 a month after Nigeria's two biggest union federations, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), argued that soaring prices and a weakening currency caused by reforms instituted by President Bola Tinubu were hitting workers hard.
Africa's most populous nation is grappling with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, igniting constant complaints from government critics.
Read more on minimum wage
- Tinubu's minister mentions when minimum wage will be reviewed
- Minimum wage: NECA shares fears over N70,000 pay, "not a two plus two equals four argument"
- Minimum wage: Actual amount Tinubu allocates for workers' salary in 2025 budget disclosed
TUC pushes periodic minimum wage hikes
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Festus Osifo, president of the TUC, said that organised labour is pushing for an annual increase in the national minimum wage paid to workers in Nigeria.
The TUC boss stated that members of the organisation, as well as their colleagues in the NLC, have begun talks on the issue.
Source: Legit.ng
