TUC Has No Power To Reject ₦70,000 Transport Intervention – Ajaero

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has condemned the position of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), following the rejection of the ₦70,000 transport intervention approved by the Federal Government for workers across all levels for six months. Ajaero made the comments while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.

The NLC President alleged that the Union backed out of the negotiation process that led to the 70k transport intervention and therefore has no right to reject what it never advocated for. “The agreement was not signed by the Trade Union Congress; you don’t kick against something you did not negotiate or never asked for,” Ajero said. Ajaero said he would have preferred a situation where TUC was negotiating for a higher intervention than what the NLC was asking, and the government would have harmonised both requests.

He alleged that the TUC president said the minimum wage would be due for negotiation in August 2027; however, the Nigerian Labour rejected that claim, citing that it was not in line with the position of the law. “They threatened us and said they are not part of it,” Ajero said that the NLC is completely on its own with the 70k transport intervention and is surprised by TUC’s stand on what was secured for the workers of the Labour union.

Speaking about the welfare of the workers under the Trade Union, Ajero said, “he left them and never came out to say they needed one or two naira, and now that we are done with this negotiation, he is still free to agitate for one million naira but not to reject what we have gotten.” He stated that the TUC had no power to reject the intervention secured by the sister union; rather, they should advocate for a higher amount in the face of increased suffering due to a rise in energy prices The labour leader argued that getting an additional ₦70,000, which also doubles as the current national minimum wage, just a few months before the negotiation of the minimum wage, which is scheduled to take place in April 2027, makes the ₦70,000 transport intervention a major landmark achievement.

He noted that the breakthrough came after several years of push by labour using instruments such as the threat of strike.‎ ‎