The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has turned down the Federal Government's N70,000 monthly transportation allowance for public servants, insisting instead on an immediate salary review and full compliance with the agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The union stated its position on Wednesday, arguing that permanent wage increases would deliver more reliable relief to workers facing rising living costs than temporary measures, which it said had failed to reach all eligible employees in the past.
The Federal Government announced the six-month transport allowance on Tuesday, with payment scheduled to begin in November 2026 after a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The TUC traced its stance to a demand letter submitted on October 8, 2026 through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, calling for urgent measures to address economic hardship facing workers and the wider population.
The union argued that government does not require a negotiated minimum wage before increasing workers' pay, as there is no maximum wage law. It proposed raising the salary of the lowest-paid federal worker from the current N70,000 minimum wage to N300,000, noting that some states have introduced minimum wages above N100,000. The applicable consequential adjustment, it said, should then apply across other cadres.
On the transport allowance, the TUC cited poor implementation of a similar wage award agreed with organised labour in October 2023. That award was meant to remain until a new minimum wage was agreed in 2024, but implementation was inconsistent. Some workers were still owed one or two months of the allowance, while others never received it. Workers who got up to four months of the N40,000 wage award reported irregular payments and repeated follow-ups. The union added that more than 80% of states and the informal sector did not implement any wage award.
Beyond pay, the TUC called on all levels of government to introduce measures that reduce the cost of essential goods and services, noting that hardship extends beyond federal employees to state and local government workers, pensioners, private-sector employees and the informal economy. Rising food, transportation and healthcare costs are pressuring households nationwide.
