Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has described the Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s rejection of the Federal Government’s ₦70,000 transport allowance for public sector workers as “improper”.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Ajaero said the TUC did not participate in negotiations with the Federal Government over the allowance and should have negotiated its own terms instead of opposing the agreement reached by the NLC.
On Wednesday, the TUC rejected the six-month transport allowance announced by the Federal Government, arguing that temporary wage awards were neither sustainable nor far-reaching. The union urged the government to increase workers’ salaries instead.
The allowance was announced on Tuesday following a conciliation meeting in Abuja between government representatives and NLC leaders, after which a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was issued.
Reacting to the TUC’s position, Ajaero said the union had no grounds to reject an agreement it did not negotiate. “The agreement was not signed by TUC. You don’t kick against something you did not negotiate or ask for,” he said.
He added that the TUC could have negotiated for a higher allowance, saying he would have preferred a situation where the NLC demanded one naira while the TUC asked for 10 naira.
Ajaero also questioned the TUC’s call for a salary increase, noting that such a move required due process rather than a simple government decision.
“I’m worried for some time now why you will say you reject something that was not given to you. That is not proper,” he said.
The NLC president maintained that the TUC could negotiate its own demands but had no authority to reject an agreement reached by a sister labour organisation.
“You don’t have the power to reject what a sister agency negotiates. You have the power to ask for your own,” Ajaero added.
Both the NLC and TUC have repeatedly called for an increase in the national minimum wage amid rising living costs and concerns over workers’ welfare.
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