NLC issues two-week ultimatum to FG over fuel price, wage review

The Nigeria Labour Congress has given the Federal Government two weeks to cut the price of petrol, begin renegotiating the national minimum wage and implement outstanding agreements with workers, Punch reports.

The ultimatum, which starts on Friday, October 9, followed a joint meeting of the NLC’s National Executive Council and Central Working Committee in Abuja. In a communiqué signed by its president, Joe Ajaero, the union said failure to meet its demands would force it to take further action.

The NLC wants petrol to return to its price when the current N70,000 minimum wage was signed in 2024. It also demands that negotiations on a new wage begin before the end of October, that the February 5, 2026 agreement with the Joint Health Sector Unions be implemented, and that the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council’s demands be addressed. It further wants tax relief and immediate wage awards for workers.

The union said the current minimum wage has been “rendered worthless” by the naira’s depreciation and the rising cost of living.

The ultimatum follows a three-day warning strike by public-sector workers earlier this month. It also comes as the government announced a proposed N1,350 per litre ceiling on petrol’s landing cost, with monthly reviews, and a 30-day discount on petrol sold by the NNPC. Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the discount is not a return to subsidy.

The NLC told its affiliates to stay on high alert.