The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has cautioned against wage increases that ignore employers’ financial capacity and prevailing economic conditions, warning that poorly structured adjustments could threaten businesses and employment.

NECA’s Director-General, Adewale Oyerinde, said minimum wage reviews must reflect workers’ cost of living, productivity, prevailing economic realities and the ability of businesses to sustain their workforce.

Oyerinde, represented by Idorenyin Brooks of NECA’s Abuja Geopolitical Group, urged the government, employers and organised labour to adopt a transparent and credible wage-setting framework that balances workers’ welfare with business survival.

He spoke at a conference themed, ‘The Future of Work: Minimum Wage, Economic Reforms and the 2027 Elections,’ which examined the relationship between wage policy, economic reforms and employment prospects.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has questioned the Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s opposition to the Federal Government’s temporary wage allowance arrangement, insisting that the NLC negotiated independently.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Ajaero said the TUC neither participated in the negotiations nor signed the agreement and should therefore not challenge its outcome.

“Why is TUC challenging what was got for the workers when we stated clearly that NLC was acting alone?” he asked.

He said he would have preferred the TUC to negotiate for a higher allowance rather than oppose an arrangement it was not part of.

Ajaero, however, maintained that the bigger concern for Nigerian workers was the declining purchasing power of their earnings amid rising prices of food, petrol, transportation and other essential goods.

He argued that increasing wages without addressing the cost of goods and services would provide only limited relief to workers.

The NLC president also stressed that any general wage adjustment must emerge from proper negotiations involving relevant stakeholders.

The differing positions highlight the challenge of balancing workers’ demand for better earnings with employers’ concerns about rising operating costs and the sustainability of jobs.