The Federal Government and organised labour are set to resume negotiations on Tuesday, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) demanding concrete proposals on petrol prices, wage negotiations and other unresolved workers’ welfare issues amid the threat of nationwide industrial action.
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The meeting follows an earlier round of discussions that ended without an agreement, leaving the unions to consider their next steps as an extended deadline for the government to address their demands expires.
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The NLC and TUC are demanding a reduction in petrol prices to levels prevailing in 2024, tax relief for workers, immediate wage awards and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of the Federal Government’s proposed June 2027 review.
Meanwhile, the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria has urged the government to pay eligible retirees three months of outstanding fuel-subsidy removal palliatives totalling N75,000 and improve access to healthcare benefits for pensioners.
The NLC Assistant Secretary-General, Chris Onyeka, confirmed on Monday that the Federal Government had invited the union to the meeting. He said labour expected the government to respond to demands already submitted rather than restart discussions without concrete proposals.
Onyeka said the unions wanted the government to come prepared with answers to their demands to prevent the negotiations from dragging on, noting that the issues had already been formally presented.
A source within organised labour also confirmed the planned meeting, saying the government had requested additional time to prepare for the discussions.
The source said labour would take a final decision on its next course of action after the meeting.
A TUC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, similarly said the outcome of the negotiations would determine whether the unions would proceed with industrial action.
The Head of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Labour, Ann Daniel, also confirmed that a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, provided there were no changes.
The talks follow the October 22 meeting, which ended without an agreement. The NLC said the government delegation arrived without the authority required to negotiate meaningfully, preventing the parties from securing concrete commitments.
The government subsequently requested an adjournment to allow relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to participate in the next session.
In a statement signed by the acting NLC General Secretary, Benson Upah, and the TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, the unions said the government representatives had lacked the necessary mandate to engage substantively with their demands.
They said the meeting ended without firm commitments, leaving the outstanding issues unresolved.
According to the unions, the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be moved to Tuesday, October 27, to give the government time to make adequate preparations and assemble the relevant officials.
The outcome of the negotiations is expected to shape labour’s next move. The NLC has directed its affiliates and state councils to prepare for possible nationwide action if the government fails to make meaningful progress.
The union said its relevant organs would assess the outcome of the meeting before deciding on further action.
The dispute extends beyond the timing of negotiations for a new national minimum wage. Labour is also seeking lower petrol prices, tax relief, immediate wage awards and the implementation of outstanding agreements affecting health workers and other public-sector employees.
The NLC issued a two-week ultimatum on October 8, demanding that the Federal Government reduce petrol prices to the levels prevailing when the current minimum wage was signed into law in 2024, begin negotiations for a new minimum wage before the end of October and resolve outstanding labour agreements.
The ultimatum expired on October 22, the same day the earlier negotiations ended without a resolution. The unions subsequently extended the deadline to October 27, warning that failure to reach an agreement could trigger nationwide industrial action.
A major point of disagreement is when negotiations should begin to replace the N70,000 monthly minimum wage introduced in 2024.
The Federal Government maintains that the current wage is due for review on June 1, 2027, arguing that the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as amended in 2024, provides for a three-year review cycle.
In a letter dated October 12, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi, described calls for another review barely two years after the current wage took effect as premature and potentially disruptive to industrial relations.
The NLC disagrees, insisting that preparations for a new wage review should begin immediately. In a letter dated October 13, the union’s president, Joe Ajaero, argued that the timetable under the original 2019 legislation remained relevant despite the 2024 amendment.
The union has called for the nomination of representatives and the inauguration of a National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee comprising the Federal Government, organised labour and employers.
Labour maintains that beginning the administrative process early would provide sufficient time for negotiations and help prevent delays in implementing a new wage.
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The current minimum wage followed negotiations in 2024 involving the Federal Government, organised labour and the organised private sector. President Bola Tinubu signed the legislation into law on July 29, 2024, increasing the statutory minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 after prolonged negotiations.
The government has cited the 133 per cent increase as evidence of the adjustment granted to workers. Labour, however, argues that the gains have been eroded by the depreciation of the naira and rising costs of essential goods and services.
Ajaero has maintained that workers’ purchasing power has continued to decline despite the higher minimum wage, leaving many struggling to afford transportation, food, housing, healthcare and education.
Petrol prices remain another major source of disagreement. Labour argues that higher fuel costs have increased transportation expenses and pushed up the prices of food and other essential commodities, further reducing workers’ purchasing power.
The NLC wants petrol prices reduced to the levels prevailing when the N70,000 minimum wage was signed into law in 2024. It is also demanding the implementation of tax relief measures agreed with the government in 2023 and immediate wage awards to cushion workers against rising living costs.
Other unresolved matters include the implementation of the February 5, 2026, terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals.
Labour is also seeking action on demands raised by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, including issues relating to peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
The Federal Ministry of Labour said it was engaging relevant ministries, departments and agencies to address issues within the government’s remit.
Pensioners demand outstanding benefits
The Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to settle outstanding pension entitlements, including three months of the N25,000 monthly subsidy-removal palliative owed to eligible beneficiaries, amounting to N75,000.
The demands were contained in a communiqué issued after the association’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on October 22, 2026. The document was signed by its President-General, Benjamin Maisamari Amako, and General Secretary, Franklin Erinle.
The association also urged the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to clarify the implementation of pension harmonisation, which took effect in January 2026, and make the relevant government circular available to retirees.
It said the exercise should improve monthly benefits for eligible pensioners and called for a stakeholders’ meeting to address complaints, improve communication and resolve outstanding cases.
FEPPPAN further urged PTAD to ensure that the planned relaunch of its ‘I Am Alive’ verification platform did not disrupt payments to elderly, sick or physically incapacitated pensioners.
It called for clear guidelines, adequate assistance and safeguards to prevent eligible beneficiaries from being excluded from receiving their pensions.
While commending President Tinubu for the timely payment of monthly pensions to retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme, the association urged him to sustain the practice and ensure uninterrupted payments.
On healthcare, FEPPPAN called on PTAD and the National Health Insurance Authority to simplify enrolment in the Pensioner Health Insurance Scheme by providing assisted registration, accessible enrolment centres and support for retirees who cannot travel because of age, illness or disability.
The association expressed concern that administrative and technological barriers could prevent eligible pensioners from registering for and accessing healthcare benefits.
It urged the authorities to identify retirees who were eligible but had yet to enrol and assist them in completing the process.
FEPPPAN said no eligible pensioner should be denied access to the scheme because of difficulties with registration, verification or other administrative procedures.
It also called for an effective complaints-resolution mechanism to address enrolment difficulties and other challenges retirees might encounter when seeking healthcare services.
The association urged PTAD and other relevant authorities to provide clear, timely and accessible information on pension entitlements, verification procedures, healthcare enrolment, eligibility requirements and channels for resolving complaints.
It said transparent and responsive pension administration was essential to protecting retirees’ welfare, dignity and financial security amid rising living costs.
The association specifically called for assistance for elderly, sick and physically incapacitated pensioners who might struggle with verification procedures, stressing that support mechanisms should prevent unnecessary hardship or interruptions to payments.
It also emphasised the importance of regular pension payments to retired workers, particularly amid prevailing economic challenges.
FEPPPAN urged the President and relevant authorities to ensure that pensioners received their entitlements promptly and without interruption. It also called for the prompt and favourable consideration of the resolutions contained in its communiqué.
PTAD administers pension liabilities for eligible federal public-sector retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme, while its ‘I Am Alive’ platform is used to verify beneficiaries’ continued eligibility for pension payments.
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