By Chibuzor Alli
The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress are at odds over when negotiations for a new national minimum wage should begin, with labour insisting that preparations must start now while the government says the current N70,000 wage is not due for review until June 2027.
The dispute centres on different interpretations of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as amended by the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The latest disagreement followed an exchange of letters between the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi, and NLC President, Joe Ajaero.
In his letter dated 13 October 2026, Ajaero rejected the Federal Government’s position that starting a fresh review process would be premature.
He argued that the timetable contained in the original 2019 legislation remained relevant despite the 2024 amendment and urged the government to begin preparations by calling for nominations and inaugurating the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee.
“The time is now. The appropriate time is now,” Ajaero wrote in the letter shared on Thursday, arguing that delaying the process would worsen the hardship facing Nigerian workers.
The NLC’s position came a day after Dingyadi responded to a communiqué issued following a joint meeting of the union’s Central Working Committee and National Executive Council.
The minister said the current minimum wage would become due for review on 1 June 2027, arguing that commencing another review barely two years after the N70,000 wage came into effect would be premature and disruptive to industrial relations.
Dingyadi maintained that the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as amended by the 2024 legislation, provides for a three-year review cycle.
NLC Wants Talks to Start Before 2027
The labour centre’s argument is that beginning negotiations now does not amount to immediately replacing the existing N70,000 minimum wage.
Ajaero said the process should start at least six months before the relevant deadline to allow enough time for consultations, negotiations and other preparatory steps and to prevent a repeat of delays that could result in wage arrears.
Based on the union’s interpretation of the timetable, the NLC said preparations should commence by 17 October 2026.
The Congress argued that the original 2019 law had envisaged a review by April 2024 and that the subsequent amendment did not erase that timeline.
It therefore maintained that a new wage should take effect by 17 April 2027 under the timeline it advanced.
The union said the government should begin the administrative process by inviting nominations and setting up the tripartite committee comprising government representatives, organised labour and employers.
Cost of Living Adds Pressure
The disagreement comes as organised labour continues to raise concerns over the rising cost of living and the declining purchasing power of workers.
In its Independence Day statement on 1 October, the NLC demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The statement, signed by Ajaero and titled “Our Hope Depends on the Choices We Make and the Actions We Take”, linked rising transportation, food, rent and education costs to the erosion of workers’ earnings.
The NLC also demanded the implementation of tax relief measures agreed with the government in October 2023.
It called for petrol prices to be reduced to the levels prevailing when the current minimum wage was signed into law in 2024, negotiations for a new wage to begin before the end of October, and outstanding agreements with health and public sector workers to be implemented.
The union warned that failure to address its demands within the stipulated period would compel it to take further action as directed by its relevant organs.
FG, Labour Remain Apart on Review Date
The Federal Government’s position is that the N70,000 minimum wage, signed into law in July 2024, remains within its three-year review cycle and will become due for review on 1 June 2027.
The NLC, however, maintains that negotiations need to start well ahead of the review date to allow sufficient time to reach and implement a new agreement.
The disagreement has therefore shifted the immediate issue from the amount of a new minimum wage to when the formal process for negotiating it should begin.
With the two sides maintaining different interpretations of the applicable timetable, the timing of the constitution of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee remains unresolved.
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