The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, has criticised the Trade Union Congress, TUC, for rejecting the Federal Government’s N70,000 monthly transport intervention for workers, saying the union was not part of the negotiations that produced the agreement.
Mr Ajaero made the remarks on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he alleged that the TUC withdrew from the negotiation process that led to the six-month transport allowance.
He said the TUC could not reject an agreement it neither negotiated nor demanded, insisting that the union should instead push for a higher amount if it considered the intervention inadequate.
“The agreement was not signed by the Trade Union Congress; you don’t kick against something you did not negotiate or never asked for,” Mr Ajaero said.
The NLC president said he would have preferred a situation in which the TUC negotiated for a higher intervention than the amount demanded by the NLC, allowing the government to harmonise the two positions.
He alleged that the TUC leadership had threatened to distance itself from the negotiations, leaving the NLC to pursue the agreement independently.
“They threatened us and said they are not part of it,” he said.
Mr Ajaero also faulted the TUC president’s reported position that the national minimum wage would be due for renegotiation in August 2027, arguing that the timeline was inconsistent with the position of the law.
He maintained that the N70,000 transport intervention was a significant achievement in view of rising energy costs and the pressure on workers’ incomes.
Speaking on workers’ welfare, Mr Ajaero accused the TUC leadership of failing to participate actively in securing the intervention before criticising the outcome.
“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 urged the TUC to seek an increase in the intervention rather than oppose the amount secured by its sister labour organisation.
He said the agreement followed years of agitation by organised labour, including threats of industrial action, to secure relief for workers facing rising living costs.
The Federal Government’s intervention is expected to provide temporary relief to workers over six months, amid concerns about the cost of transportation and other essential expenses.
The disagreement has exposed divisions between the two major labour centres over the negotiations and the adequacy of the government’s support for workers.
