President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has criticised the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for rejecting the negotiated N70,000 monthly transport allowance for workers, urging the union to negotiate a better package for its members rather than oppose an agreement it did not participate in.

Ajaero described the allowance as a significant achievement in efforts to cushion the effects of rising petrol prices and the escalating cost of living, noting that organised labour had to threaten industrial action before securing the intervention from the Federal Government.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, the NLC president said Nigerian workers had endured economic hardship without adequate intervention before labour's negotiations with the government produced the allowance.

He expressed surprise at the TUC's opposition to the agreement, arguing that the union should seek a more attractive offer for its members if it considered the existing arrangement inadequate.

“The agreement was not signed by TUC, and you don’t kick against something that you didn’t negotiate,” Ajaero said.

He added that the TUC could demand a higher allowance if it believed the N70,000 package was insufficient, questioning whether rejecting the arrangement entirely would benefit workers.

Describing the agreement as a landmark achievement, Ajaero, however, warned that the six-month transport allowance must not expire without a new minimum wage arrangement that reflects prevailing economic realities.

He said future wage negotiations should take account of the rising costs of transportation, food, housing and other essential needs, stressing that workers must not be left without adequate relief when the temporary allowance ends.

According to him, the government must ensure that the expiration of the allowance does not coincide with the absence of a new wage arrangement or another meaningful intervention for workers.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA) has warned that organised private-sector employers cannot be bound by minimum wage agreements negotiated between the Federal Government and organised labour without their participation and concurrence.

In a statement, the employers' association maintained that determining the national minimum wage was fundamentally a tripartite process requiring the participation of government, employers and workers as equal social partners.

NECA acknowledged the importance of ongoing engagements between the government and organised labour, particularly in addressing workers' welfare, rising living costs and declining purchasing power.

However, it insisted that bilateral discussions could not replace the established tripartite process, which it said was reinforced by relevant International Labour Organisation conventions and recommendations.

The association cited ILO Convention No. 131 on minimum wage fixing, Recommendation No. 135 and Convention No. 26 on minimum wage-fixing machinery as instruments supporting consultation and participation in determining minimum wages.

NECA stressed that organised private-sector employers should not be deemed parties to agreements reached without their involvement, while clarifying that its position did not diminish employers' obligation to comply with any national minimum wage validly established under the National Minimum Wage Act.

It also dismissed suggestions that it was opposed to minimum wage negotiations or reviews, insisting instead that the process must be inclusive, transparent, evidence-based and consistent with relevant international labour standards.

The association said a sustainable minimum wage arrangement must balance workers' legitimate welfare concerns with the economic realities confronting employers.

The positions of the NLC and NECA highlight the continuing debate over workers' welfare, the duration of temporary relief measures and the need for inclusive negotiations to establish sustainable wage arrangements in Nigeria.