N70,000 Transport Allowance: NLC Can Negotiate Alone – Ajaero Counters Usifo

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajero, has argued that the Union has the power to negotiate alone on labour matters based on the principle of most workers representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO). 

Ajaero spoke while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.

According to him, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) can only negotiate alongside NLC but not alone.

“TUC can negotitta along with NLC but NLC can negotiate alone based on the principle of most workers representatives of the ILO”, the NLC President noted.

This is coming after both labour bodies have disagreed over the₦70,000 transport intervention approved by the Federal Government for workers across all levels for six months.

Ajaero stated that the TUC has no power to sit at the table to negotiate alone with the labour authorities.

The labour leader argued that the Trade Congress is required to present its propositions to the NLC when engaging with the ILO.

“TUC sent their negotiation alone ahead of the ILO conference but they retured it back and I had to muninuite on it.

“They have to send their list here for me to forward it; that is the position of the ILO. NLC determines how TUC participates”, adding that the TUC does not submit its proposal to TUC. “It is the other way round”

Ajaero stated that the Ministry of Labour and other labour authorities will not engage with the Trade Union, as it acts alone on workers’ welfare negotiations.

“TUC can’t negotiate alone; if they are saying and it is implied, it does not happen. I don’t think the Ministry of Labour or the Labour Authority will allow that to happen.”

Ajaero, responding to Festus position of having over 300,000 members in the federal civil service, said,  “The 2005 Trade Union Amendment Act made membership of trade unions voluntary.

“It is the worker that determines the  union he belongs to; the Act makes

“Section 40 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended was clear that every Nigerian worker has the right to belong to any trade union, political or religious institution of his choice, which gives every worker the latitude to belong to any union of their choice”.

He argued that Festus saying he has a good number of workers in his union does not add up, given that only one member union of TUC belongs to the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council,, which consists of eight union bodies, and  seven of them are in NLC.

He further argued that one union from TUC, which is a member of the joint body, has subjected its power to the joint body.

Ajaero maintained that the Nigerian Labour Congress engaged with the federal government to secure the ₦70,000 transport intervention

“We gave  government an ultimatum; we were supposed to start an action. The government asked for four days and to meet with us, and we met, and they resumed sitting after four days.

After the meeting, the 70k allowance came up”

He asserted that minimum wage demands could not be presented when the government has not set up a negotiation committee; stating that it requires wider consultation among Labour leaders, government officials, and employers before any wage increase can happen.