The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices and payment of wage awards to workers nationwide.
It also called for the commencement of negotiations on a new national minimum wage, saying the current N70,000 minimum wage had been eroded by inflation.
The demands were contained in an Independence Day message by the President of the Congress, Joe Ajaero.
The NLC said Nigeria was facing a ‘full-scale survival crisis’, with workers and other Nigerians struggling under the impact of inflation and rising transportation costs.
‘The real value of wages has been devoured by structural inflation. Petrol now sells at N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and far more in remote areas,’ it said.
The Congress said that while increases in transport fares had pushed up the prices of food, school fees, rent and other necessities, nominal wages remained largely unchanged.
Describing the May 2023 petrol price increase as a ‘systematic assault on the working class’, it questioned how the savings from subsidy removal had been used.
‘Three years later, petrol prices have multiplied several times over, yet the promised infrastructure and social services remain mirages. Where exactly did the subsidy savings go? Nigerians deserve an answer, and they deserve it now,’ the NLC said.
The Congress also demanded the immediate implementation of tax relief measures agreed upon between the Federal Government and labour in October 2023.
It called for the establishment of a tripartite committee to negotiate and legislate a new wage standard for 2027 before the end of the year.
The NLC further urged the government to reduce the cost of governance, ensure transparency in the use of public resources and invest in roads, healthcare, education and other social infrastructure.
The labour union said the government should also create opportunities for young Nigerians, warning that unemployment, poverty and inequality were contributing to insecurity and desperate migration.
It stated that nearly 2,000 Nigerians died from violence in the first quarter of 2026, adding that farmers, teachers and health workers were unable to safely perform their duties in some areas.
On the 2027 general elections, the NLC urged political actors to respect the choice of voters and warned against election manipulation, voter intimidation and the exploitation of ethnic and religious divisions.
The union said it would use the Workers’ Charter at the appropriate time to state the policies and candidates that would receive the support of the working class.
However, the union stressed that it would not accept being treated as electoral tools.
‘Workers have the right to independent political thoughts, judgement, and choice,’ it said.