Minimum Wage: NLC Rejects FG’s 2027 Timeline, Demands Immediate Talks

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to immediately commence negotiations for a new national minimum wage, accusing the government of delaying preparations despite the statutory three-year review cycle.

The labour union said the current N70,000 minimum wage had significantly lost its purchasing power due to prevailing economic conditions, making an early review necessary to protect Nigerian workers.

The NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, stated this in an interview with Vanguard in Abuja, arguing that negotiations should already be underway rather than being postponed until 2027.

Upah explained that the N70,000 minimum wage was agreed upon on July 28, 2024, with implementation backdated to May 1, 2024.

However, he maintained that the backdating did not change the three-year review cycle introduced by the 2024 amendment to the National Minimum Wage Act.

According to him, the amendment changed only the minimum wage amount from N30,000 to N70,000 and reduced the review period from five years to three years.

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He argued that neither the government nor organised labour had the authority to arbitrarily alter the statutory review timeline.

Upah said the NLC’s interpretation of the law meant negotiations should have commenced in June, adding that the union had already communicated its position to the Federal Government.

He further explained that even if the government’s interpretation, which counts the three-year period from May 2024, was adopted, preparations for negotiations should begin in November because the law requires the process to commence six months before the review.

“There is no reason to do tomorrow what can be done today,” he said.

The labour leader stressed that minimum wage negotiations involved extensive consultations, public hearings, assessments of the cost of living and engagements with relevant social partners, making early preparations necessary.

He described any delay as evidence of the government’s lack of preparedness, insisting that Nigeria should not wait until the last minute to begin a process whose timeline was already established by law.

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The NLC’s demand comes amid disagreements between organised labour and the Federal Government over the commencement of the next minimum wage review.

While the Federal Government has maintained that the current N70,000 minimum wage is due for review on June 1, 2027, labour leaders are insisting that preparations for fresh negotiations should begin immediately.

Reacting to suggestions by some labour leaders that the next minimum wage would take effect in August 2027, Upah dismissed the position, describing it as a product of ignorance and a misinterpretation of the law.

He maintained that the NLC’s position was supported by both legal provisions and the prevailing circumstances.

Upah also rejected the argument that the government could independently determine when the three-year review cycle should begin, insisting that the timeline was a statutory requirement binding on all parties.

He, however, indicated that the labour union could approach the court to seek clarification if the disagreement over the interpretation of the law persisted.

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“On this matter, let me tell you, we can go to court for an interpretation,” he said.

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