{"id":3924,"date":"2026-10-30T05:30:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T05:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/30\/n70000-relief-ajaero-blasts-tuc-over-rejection-as-ops-sets-condition-for-minimum-wage\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T05:30:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T05:30:45","slug":"n70000-relief-ajaero-blasts-tuc-over-rejection-as-ops-sets-condition-for-minimum-wage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/30\/n70000-relief-ajaero-blasts-tuc-over-rejection-as-ops-sets-condition-for-minimum-wage\/","title":{"rendered":"N70,000 relief: Ajaero blasts TUC over rejection, as OPS sets condition for minimum wage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NLC\"<\/p>\n

By Victor AhiumaYoung & Juliet Umeh<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has blasted its sister central Labour organisation, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, of Nigeria, for rejecting the negotiated N70,000 transport allowance for workers, describing the relief as a significant intervention to cushion the effects of rising petrol prices and the escalating cost of living.<\/p>\n

NLC President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, also challenged the TUC to negotiate better benefits for its members rather than criticise an agreement it did not participate in negotiating<\/p>\n

This comes as Nigeria Employers\u2019 Consultative Association, NECA, warned that organised private-sector employers cannot be bound by minimum wage agreements reached between the Federal Government and organised labour without their participation and concurrence, insisting that employers must have an equal voice in the negotiation process.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Channels Television, yesterday, Ajaero said: \u201cNigerian workers were suffering; no intervention, nothing, and we have pushed with the threat of strike. We almost went on strike to get something, and then we got this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Describing the agreement as a landmark achievement, Ajaero said: \u201cBetween now and the next six months, this is a landmark achievement,\u201d insisting that workers must not be left worse off when the allowance expires.<\/p>\n

On the disagreement with the TUC, Ajaero expressed surprise at its criticism, saying \u201cThe agreement was not signed by TUC, and you don\u2019t kick against something that you didn\u2019t negotiate.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy appeal is that they (TUC) should go and ask for something higher. Let them ask for one million naira if they want.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it better that they don\u2019t get anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ajaero maintained that the intervention could serve as a benchmark for further negotiations involving workers across different employment categories.<\/p>\n

Ajaero warned that the six-month allowance must not expire without a new minimum wage arrangement that reflects prevailing economic realities.<\/p>\n

He argued that future wage negotiations must consider rising transportation costs, food prices, housing and other necessities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to find a way out of it. It is not in favour of government to now stop paying and then there is no new minimum wage and there is nothing new,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Efforts to get the TUC to respond to Ajaero\u2019s latest position were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

The TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, answered his call but said he was driving and promised to call back as soon as he arrived at his destination. However, he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.<\/p>\n

Subsequent calls to his phone went unanswered.<\/p>\n

OPS fires warning\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Employers\u2019 Consultative Association, NECA, has warned that organised private-sector employers cannot be bound by minimum wage agreements reached between the Federal Government and organised labour without their participation and concurrence, insisting that employers must have an equal voice in the negotiation process.<\/p>\n

NECA in its statement said: \u201cWe, the Voice of Organised Business in Nigeria, acknowledges and commends the ongoing engagements between the Federal Government and Organised Labour on the National Minimum Wage. We recognise the legitimate concerns regarding workers\u2019 welfare, rising cost of living and declining purchasing power.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, NECA strongly emphasises that the determination of the National Minimum Wage is fundamentally a Tripartite process that must involve Government, Employers and Workers as equal Social Partners. The broader principles of social dialogue are further reinforced by ILO Convention No. 144 and Recommendation No. 113.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe principle of Tripartism is firmly established in relevant International Labour Organisation (ILO) instruments, particularly the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131), Minimum Wage Fixing Recommendation, 1970 (No. 135), and Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, 1928 (No. 26). These instruments underscore the importance of meaningful consultation and participation of the most representative employers\u2019 body (NECA) and the most representative workers\u2019 organisation (NLC) in minimum wage determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile NECA respects the right of Government and Organised Labour to hold bilateral discussions, such engagements cannot substitute for the statutory tripartite process. Organised private-sector employers cannot be deemed parties to, or contractually bound by, agreements reached without their participation and concurrence. This does not, however, diminish employers\u2019 obligation to comply with any National Minimum Wage validly established under the National Minimum Wage Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, NECA is not opposed to the negotiation or review of the National Minimum Wage. Rather, the Association insists that the process must be inclusive, transparent, evidence-based and consistent with relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations. A sustainable outcome must balance the legitimate needs of workers with the economic realities confronting employers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post N70,000 relief: Ajaero blasts TUC over rejection, as OPS sets condition for minimum wage<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Victor AhiumaYoung & Juliet Umeh The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has blasted its sister central Labour organisation, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, of Nigeria, for rejecting the negotiated N70,000… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3925,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}