BY JOHN ODHE
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are getting all wrong. Instead of fighting themselves, they must immediately halt their internal bickering and form a united front to effectively demand critical welfare reforms from the Nigerian government.
The latest internal wrangling between Joe Ajaero, president of the NLC and Festus Osifo, president of the TUC has escalated into public hostilities.
The rift erupted after the Federal Government approved a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public sector workers for six months. While Ajaero and the NLC negotiated and accepted the deal, Osifo and the TUC rejected it, calling it a “haphazard measure” and demanding a permanent salary increment instead.
A unified labour coalition is the only viable mechanism capable of forcing the federal government to address the crushing economic hardships facing Nigerian workers.
Unfortunately, for too long, leadership tussles, ideological divides, and institutional rivalry have fragmented the collective bargaining power of the nation’s workforce.
While the two labour centers dissipate energy fighting each other for dominance and political favour, millions of citizens continue to sink deeper into poverty under the weight of severe economic policies.
This internal friction has consistently played into the hands of the state, allowing the government to employ a classic “divide and rule” strategy. Whenever labour threatens a nationwide strike or demands policy reversals, such as adjustments to electricity tariffs or fuel subsidies, the state funds ways to Induce public disagreements between NLC and TUC leaderships.
When one union calls for mass action while the other hesitates or backs out, it dilutes the fear of a total economic shutdown. This lack of synergy strips labour of its ultimate leverage, rendering threat ultimatums toothless and leaving workers at the mercy of protracted, unproductive negotiations.
The urgency for an absolute truce has never been more critical given Nigeria’s current macroeconomic realities. Inflation, currency devaluation, and the skyrocketing cost of living have completely eroded the purchasing power of the national minimum wage. Workers are grappling with unprecedented costs for transportation, food, healthcare and education.
If the NLC and TUC continue to operate as rivals rather than partners, they will fail to secure vital concessions regarding social safety nets, tax reliefs, and functional public infrastructure. The labour centers must realize that their adversary is not each other, but the systemic economic negligence threatening the survival of their members.
Moving forward, the leadership of both congresses must establish a permanent, synchronized joint negotiation committee that speaks with a single, unyielding voice. They must align their agendas, drop personal egos, and draft a singular, comprehensive charter of demands centered entirely on worker welfare and economic justice.
Only by presenting an unbreakable, co-dependent front can organized labour command the respect it deserves at the negotiating table. Nigeria’s workforce deserves a leadership that fights for them, not with itself, and a united NLC and TUC is the only force capable of holding the government accountable.
