2024 Most Challenging Year for Nigerian Workers

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared 2024 as the most challenging year for workers in Nigeria, citing increasing hardship and adversity faced by the labour movement. Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, made the statement at the opening of the 2024 “Harmattan School” in Abuja, an annual event designed for capacity building, strategic planning, and knowledge sharing within trade unions.

Addressing the gathering, Ajaero reflected on the difficulties workers endured throughout the year, describing it as a time of unprecedented turbulence. He said the labour movement had been subjected to “threats, intimidation, and attacks,” marking one of the most difficult periods in the history of Nigerian workers.

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Despite the turbulent year, the NLC President urged the attendees to make the most of the Harmattan School, saying it would serve as a platform to prepare workers for upcoming negotiations and to push for a new social contract that would address the needs of the workforce.

“This event provides an opportunity to reflect on what has happened to the NLC, assess the situation, and find ways to emerge stronger,” Ajaero said. He urged the Union to remain focused on protecting workers’ rights, insisting that failure to do so would amount to a failure of the movement itself.

Dr. Vanessa Phala, Country Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Nigeria, also addressed the event, urging unions to unite and engage the government to address the economic challenges facing workers, particularly rising costs of living.

Phala stressed the importance of rebuilding trust in government institutions, especially in the wake of the newly approved minimum wage, which she said had been undermined by inflation.