The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has criticised the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for rejecting the Federal Government’s ₦70,000 transport intervention approved for workers across all levels for a period of six months.
Ajaero expressed his displeasure during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, accusing the TUC of withdrawing from the negotiations that produced the intervention and questioning its decision to reject an agreement it did not participate in negotiating.
According to the NLC president, the TUC was not a signatory to the agreement and therefore should not oppose the outcome of negotiations it had declined to participate in.
“The agreement was not signed by the Trade Union Congress; you don’t kick against something you did not negotiate or never asked for,” Ajaero said.
He explained that he would have preferred the TUC to negotiate for a higher transport intervention than the amount proposed by the NLC, allowing the Federal Government to harmonise both demands and arrive at a mutually acceptable figure.
Ajaero also alleged that the TUC president had argued that the next minimum wage negotiation would not be due until August 2027, a position he rejected, insisting that it was inconsistent with the provisions of the law.
Recounting the disagreements between the two labour centres, Ajaero said the TUC had threatened to distance itself from the negotiations, leaving the NLC to pursue the transport intervention independently.
He expressed surprise at the TUC’s subsequent opposition to an agreement he said was secured to improve workers’ welfare.
Speaking about the welfare of workers under the TUC, Ajaero said the union had failed to make demands on their behalf during the negotiations but remained free to pursue a higher intervention.
“He left them and never came out to say they needed one or two naira, and now that we are done with this negotiation, he is still free to agitate for one million naira but not to reject what we have gotten,” he said.
The NLC president maintained that the TUC had no basis for rejecting the intervention secured by the NLC, arguing that it should instead push for a higher amount, particularly amid growing economic hardship and rising energy costs.
Ajaero described the ₦70,000 transport intervention as a significant achievement, noting that the amount is equivalent to the current national minimum wage and was secured only months before the next round of minimum wage negotiations, which he said was scheduled for April 2027.
He added that the breakthrough followed several years of sustained pressure by organised labour, including threats of industrial action, to secure improved welfare packages for Nigerian workers.
