The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 monthly transport allowance for public servants, insisting that an immediate salary increase would provide more lasting relief from rising living costs.
The union also demanded full implementation of outstanding agreements with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), warning that temporary allowances would do little to ease workers’ hardship if payment remained inconsistent.
The Federal Government announced the six-month transport allowance on Tuesday, with implementation scheduled to begin in November 2026, following a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
In a statement on Wednesday, the TUC said its position followed a demand letter submitted to the Federal Government on October 8 through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The letter called for urgent action to address the economic pressures facing workers and the wider population.
“In the said letter, our position was very clear, Federal Government should review increase salaries of workers. This was hinged on the fact that government does not require minimum wage to be negotiated before increasing workers’ pay as there is no maximum wage law in the country,” the union said.
The TUC argued that the Federal Government could increase the salary of its lowest-paid workers from the current N70,000 minimum wage to N300,000, followed by the applicable consequential adjustments for other salary levels.
It cited state governments that have introduced minimum wages above N100,000 as evidence that higher pay levels are possible.
“Some states today have raised their minimum wage above N100,000 such that federal government can raise the pay of the lowest worker to N300,000 for example from the current N70,000 and then apply the applicable consequential adjustment,” the union said.
It added that while minimum wage negotiations remained important for determining pay across different categories of workers, the government could increase salaries immediately without waiting for a fresh minimum wage agreement.
“While it is good to negotiate minimum wage which will affect other cadre of workers, FGN must raise wage level immediately as there are no law or historical practices stopping it from doing so,” the TUC said.
The labour organisation also questioned the proposed transport allowance, pointing to what it described as poor implementation of a similar wage award agreed upon by the Federal Government and organised labour in October 2023.
The previous award was intended to provide temporary relief until a new minimum wage was agreed in 2024. However, the TUC said payments were inconsistent and some eligible workers did not receive the full benefit.
According to the union:
- Some workers were still owed one or two months of the allowance, while others received nothing.
- Some beneficiaries received up to four months of the N40,000 wage award, but payments were irregular and often required repeated follow-ups.
- More than 80 per cent of states and the informal sector did not implement any form of wage award, it claimed.
The TUC said these experiences raised concerns about whether the newly announced transport allowance would reach all eligible workers promptly and consistently.
