Petrol price hike sparks labour unrest as NLC calls for action

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the recent petrol price hike, calling it “inimical” to the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage.

NLC President Joe Ajaero expressed concerns in an interview with Arise Television on Friday.

“The new petrol price hike will be resisted,” Ajaero said. “We agreed on a minimum wage when petrol was N700 per litre. Now, it’s over N1,000. This imposition affects the new minimum wage.”

“We agreed on a minimum wage when petrol was being sold at N700, and before it was implemented, petrol is now N1000 something.

“It is a question of having two logs of wood on the ground. You have to remove one on top before the one next to it.

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“We have the power, the way we agreed on this minimum wage, to say this imposition (new petrol price) will affect the new minimum wage if it is N70,000, and that is the cause of action we are about to take.

“By next week, we should be able to meet and have a conversation about this (petrol price hike). So that the personal view of the leader does not becloud the position of the members.”

The petrol price jump followed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s (NNPC) increase across its retail outlets. Lagos saw prices rise to N998 per litre, while Abuja reached N1,003.

President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law in July, raising workers’ pay from N30,000 to N70,000. However, implementation remains pending at the national level, with many states also yet to adopt the new wage.

Ajaero emphasized the NLC’s determination to address the issue. “We have the power to say this imposition affects the new minimum wage… We’ll meet next week to decide our line of action.”

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