THE President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has stated that the Organised Labour has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s plan to hike petrol prices and pay a minimum wage of ₦250,000.
“Accepting ₦70,000 was the best way to save Nigerians from further hardship,” Ajaero said today shortly after Labour met with the President in Abuja.
“At last week’s meeting, the President brought a proposal that ‘I will give you guys ₦250,000’ if you allow me to equally increase the pump price of petroleum products’ and we said, ‘No, we need to go and consult’.
“Today, we went there to tell him, ‘No’. The labour movement can make sacrifices without allowing Nigerians to suffer further on the increase in the pump price of petroleum products.”
Petrol prices have increased from ₦184 in May 2023 when Tinubu declared the “subsidy is gone” to almost ₦700 now, depending on location.
According to Ajaero, the Organised Labour has agreed to a new minimum pay of ₦70,000 for Nigerian workers, as the country’s salary reviews will now occur every three years instead of every five.
President Tinubu is expected to transmit an executive bill to the National Assembly at the agreed-upon rate for future legislation.