The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, have disagreed over negotiations with the Federal Government on the recently approved N70,000 transport allowance for workers.
Ajaero, in an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, argued that the NLC could independently negotiate with the Federal Government without the participation of the TUC.
He cited the International Labour Organisation’s principle of representation by the largest workers’ organisation, describing the NLC as Africa’s biggest labour centre.
According to him, the TUC could participate in the negotiations alongside the NLC, but its involvement was not a condition for the NLC to negotiate on behalf of its members.
Ajaero also criticised Osifo, describing him as an absentee TUC president and alleging that he resides in the United States and only travels to Nigeria for meetings.
However, Osifo had maintained in a separate interview on Channels Television that the NLC president could not negotiate on behalf of the TUC, insisting that both labour centres should participate in discussions affecting workers.
The disagreement follows growing concerns over the N70,000 transport allowance announced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, amid rising fuel costs and calls for improved workers’ welfare.
The exchange has brought to the fore differences between the two major labour centres over representation and the approach to negotiations with the Federal Government.
