The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected claims that it negotiated the ₦40,000 consequential salary adjustment approved for federal workers following the implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage.
The labour centre clarified that negotiations over consequential adjustments were handled independently by public sector unions and their respective negotiating councils, insisting that the NLC was not directly involved in the process.
The Congress made its position known in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Acting General Secretary, Comrade Benson Upah.
It described reports attributing the ₦40,000 adjustment to the NLC as misleading, accusing some individuals of deliberately misrepresenting Nigeria’s collective bargaining structure to create confusion and division within the labour movement.
According to the Congress, its responsibility during the 2024 minimum wage negotiations was limited to determining the national minimum wage, which establishes the lowest amount employers are legally required to pay workers.
“For the purpose of clarity, we state that the national minimum wage is set through a tripartite process involving the labour movement, the government, and employers’ representatives.
“The NLC’s mandate at this stage is clear and unambiguous: to negotiate the national minimum wage; the primary and basic floor below which no worker should be paid,” the statement read.
The NLC explained that consequential adjustments, which involve reviewing existing salary structures to accommodate a new minimum wage, are negotiated separately by unions operating in different sectors.
It identified the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, comprising government representatives and approximately eight trade unions, as the body responsible for negotiating the implementation of the new minimum wage and its consequential adjustments with the Federal Government.
The Congress added that similar arrangements applied at the state level, where relevant negotiating councils engage state governments, while industrial unions negotiate with employers’ associations in the private sector.
Citing the food and beverage industry, the NLC noted that the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers negotiated with the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees on the implementation of the new minimum wage within the sector.
The labour organisation stressed that although it represents workers across public and private sectors, this does not mean it negotiates salary adjustments on behalf of individual unions.
“The NLC represents both the private and public sectors. However, it is critically important to understand that the NLC does not sit at the table to negotiate consequential adjustments in the various sectors.
“The leadership of the unions in these sectors bears sole responsibility for the outcomes of consequential adjustments in their respective sectors,” it stated.
Specifically addressing the ₦40,000 adjustment for federal workers, the Congress insisted that the outcome was negotiated by public sector union leaders.
It described attempts to hold the NLC responsible for the agreement as a deliberate misrepresentation of the collective bargaining process.
“Therefore, the claim that the NLC was responsible for negotiating the N40,000 across-the-board addition as consequential adjustment for federal workers is not only false but is a deliberate distortion of the collective bargaining framework in Nigeria.
“The N40,000 outcome was the sole responsibility of the leadership of the unions in the public sector,” the statement added.
The Congress further accused some individuals of attempting to shift responsibility for the outcome to the NLC in order to create divisions among workers, particularly as preparations begin for another round of national minimum wage negotiations.
It maintained that throughout its history, it had never negotiated consequential adjustments directly with the Federal Government or organised private sector employers.
“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,” it said.
Looking ahead to the next minimum wage review, the NLC pledged to push for an improved wage structure that reflects the country’s prevailing economic conditions and brings workers closer to earning a living wage.
The Congress urged Nigerian workers to hold the appropriate institutions accountable for their responsibilities during the negotiation process.
“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.
“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,” the statement added.
The labour centre also promised to introduce measures to ensure that future consequential adjustment negotiations are handled by the appropriate institutions and produce better outcomes for Nigerian workers.
