The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged the Federal Government’s attempt to defer negotiations on a new national minimum wage until June 2027, insisting that preparations for the review should begin immediately despite the government’s warning that an early process could disrupt industrial relations.
The disagreement centres on whether the government should begin setting up the machinery for negotiations now or wait until the current ₦70,000 minimum wage becomes due for review.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, NLC President Joe Ajaero rejected the position communicated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi, arguing that the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, provides the basis for initiating the process.
Ajaero urged the government to invite nominations and constitute the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee, which brings together government representatives, organised labour and employers to negotiate workers’ minimum earnings.
The labour leader’s response followed a letter dated October 12, in which Dingyadi acknowledged a communiqué from a joint meeting of the NLC’s Central Working Committee and National Executive Council.
The minister maintained that the current minimum wage would only become due for review on June 1, 2027, warning that opening fresh negotiations barely two years after the ₦70,000 wage took effect could create unnecessary tension in industrial relations.
However, the NLC’s demand comes against the backdrop of mounting pressure on workers’ purchasing power, with the union arguing that prevailing economic conditions require urgent government action on wages and the cost of living.
In its Independence Day statement on October 1, the congress demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations on a new minimum wage.
The dispute raises a broader question about the relationship between the statutory wage-review timetable and the need to prepare early for negotiations, particularly when workers say their earnings are struggling to keep pace with rising living costs.
While the government has emphasised the need to respect the timeline for reviewing the existing wage, the NLC wants the preparatory process to begin without delay.
With both sides maintaining opposing positions, the next step will depend on whether the Federal Government agrees to constitute the tripartite committee before June 2027 or holds to its position that a fresh review should await the scheduled date.
