The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and civil servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, have demanded a new minimum wage of N500,000 and a reduction in the pump price of petrol to N500 per litre as measures to cushion the worsening cost-of-living crisis.
The workers made the demands in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, signed by the National Secretary of the JNPSNC, Olowoyo Gbenga.
The council also called for the immediate constitution of a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage ahead of January 2027.
The workers gave the Federal Government until September 30, 2026, to act on their demands, warning that the rising cost of living was creating growing tension among workers and Nigerians.
The JNPSNC said the recent increase in petrol prices to about N1,430 per litre and above in some locations had further increased the cost of transportation and essential goods.
It argued that the removal of petrol subsidy three years ago had triggered a sharp rise in fuel prices, with wider effects across the economy.
The council, which comprises several public-sector unions, said the distribution of food items and other palliatives was not a sustainable solution to the economic crisis.
It argued that interventions such as bags of rice, noodles, vegetable oil and garri could not adequately address the underlying causes of declining purchasing power.
The workers instead called for measures that would reduce the cost of living for the wider population, particularly through a reduction in petrol prices.
According to the council, lowering petrol prices to N500 per litre would have a multiplier effect by reducing transportation and other production-related costs.
The workers also demanded an intervention fund for stakeholders in the petroleum sector to help stabilise fuel prices and ultimately bring the pump price down.
The NLC endorsed the demands, describing them as realistic and legitimate.
The union’s Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, said workers’ wages had remained largely static while inflation continued to erode their purchasing power.
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“The demand for a wage award and reduction in the pump price of fuel are very realistic and long overdue,” Upah said.
He said many workers were struggling to afford transportation to work and meet basic household needs.
According to him, an increase in petrol prices affects virtually every aspect of the economy, including food, transportation and education.
He urged the Federal Government to provide urgent intervention to help workers and other Nigerians cope with the rising cost of living.
Beyond the proposed N500,000 minimum salary, the JNPSNC demanded the immediate introduction of a wage award for federal, state and local government workers.
The council proposed that an officer on Grade Level 01, Step 1 should earn at least N500,000 monthly under the proposed 2027 salary structure.
It also called for the harmonisation of wages across ministries, departments and agencies and urged state and local governments to undertake similar reviews.
The council asked President Tinubu to direct the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to commence discussions with the NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), JNPSNC and other stakeholders on the proposed wage award and upward review of salaries and allowances.
The unions said improved remuneration would help restore workers’ purchasing power, enhance productivity and service delivery, strengthen integrity and accountability, and promote industrial peace.
