It was not just celebration at this year’s May Day rally in Abuja, it was also a loud and clear cry for justice from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
Addressing a packed crowd at Eagle Square, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, rolled out a long list of demands, with a call to raise the retirement age for all civil servants topping the list.
“It is imperative to extend the revised retirement age of 65 years or 40 years of service currently enjoyed by teachers, health professionals, and judges to all public servants,” Ajaero declared, sparking cheers from the crowd.
Ajaero reminded the nation that this demand is not new. In fact, he had promised last year to push it with President Bola Tinubu. On Thursday, he made it clear that labour will not back down.
But the retirement age was just one item in a laundry list of issues. The NLC wants better salaries to reflect the rising cost of living. With inflation squeezing workers dry, they insisted that it’s time for a living wage, not survival wages.
They also questioned the current PAYEE tax system, asking, “what exactly are you taxing?” and rejected the Tax Bills being considered at the National Assembly. Labour says workers deserve a voice when tax laws that affect them are being made.
The NLC also addressed the telecom tariffs, saying a promised reduction from 50 per cent to 35 per cent has yet to happen. “It’s time to prioritise the people, not profits,” they said, demanding reforms in sectors like energy and public utilities.
Electricity also came under fire. The NLC reiterated its call for a review and possible reversal of the power sector privatisation, arguing it has failed to deliver and only worsened people’s hardship.
On governance, they want more accountability and urgent electoral reforms. They condemned what they called the shrinking of civic space and urged governments at all levels to stop suppressing dissent.
Security also featured heavily in their message. The labour movement said the killings across the country are “genocidal” and “intolerable,” and they called for the protection of workers both in and out of the workplace.
In their full list of demands, they called for: an immediate upward review of retirement age for all civil servants; full return of gratuity payments; payment of outstanding pensions, allowances, and gratuities; humane alternatives to the “dehumanising” pension verification processes; introduction of a national minimum pension tied to inflation.
Others are transparency in taxation and fair tax policies; full implementation of reduced telco tariffs; reforms in electricity and essential services to serve public, not private, interests; an end to indiscriminate union registrations; and more active and regular National Labour Advisory Council meetings.
They didn’t leave out the situation in Rivers State either. Labour demanded the immediate reversal of what they called the unconstitutional suspension of the state government.
“The federal and state governments should cease actions that erode the civic space but should encourage and deepen it for the sake of our nation,” the NLC insisted.
As the event wrapped up, one thing was clear: Nigerian workers are not just asking for respect, they are demanding it. And if this year’s May Day was anything to go by, they are not going to be silent anytime soon.
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