TUC rejects Tinubu’s proposed N70,000 transport allowance

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has turned down the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 transport allowance, calling for an immediate salary increase for workers and the implementation of outstanding agreements with health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions.

The congress stated that temporary wage awards were insufficient to tackle the worsening economic hardship facing Nigerian workers and insisted that the government should raise salaries instead of introducing relief measures that might not be implemented consistently.

The TUC also accused the Federal Government of failing to meet its 2023 wage award obligations to some workers and of neglecting a seven-month-old agreement on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for health workers under JOHESU.

The congress made its position known in a statement issued on Wednesday by its president, Festus Osifo, and secretary-general, N.A. Toro, following a National Administrative Council meeting held in Abuja on October 8, 2026.

According to the statement, the congress had written to the federal government through the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, demanding an immediate salary review in response to rising living costs.

The TUC argued that the government did not need to wait for negotiations on the national minimum wage before raising workers’ salaries, noting that there was no legal ceiling on how much employers could pay their workers.

It said, “The Federal Government should review increasing workers’ salaries. This was hinged on the fact that the government does not require the minimum wage to be negotiated before increasing workers’ pay, as there is no maximum wage law in the country.”

The Congress proposed that the Federal Government raise the salary of the lowest-paid worker from the current N70,000 to N300,000 and apply the appropriate consequential adjustments to other salary levels.

It maintained that although negotiations on the national minimum wage remained important, they should not serve as an excuse to delay urgent salary increases for workers struggling with rising costs of food, transportation, healthcare, and other essential expenses.

The TUC said its leadership had held consultative meetings with government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, during which it rejected the proposed wage award.

Explaining its opposition, the congress said the previous wage award negotiated in October 2023 had not been fully implemented, which raised concerns about the credibility of another temporary arrangement.

“The wage award agreed between FGN and organized labor on the 2nd of October 2023 was to be implemented until a minimum wage was agreed in 2024 but was never implemented holistically,” the statement said.

It also noted that certain workers were still owed one or two months’ pay, while others had received no allowance whatsoever.

The Congress further alleged that employees who got the award were not always paid monthly, with some waiting one or two months and having to make repeated requests before receiving what they were owed.

It went on to claim that over 80 percent of states and informal-sector workers had not gained from any kind of wage award.

“Why should we return to the same wage award that never benefited all workers? How can workers be expected to place trust in new promises when earlier obligations are still unpaid?” the TUC asked.

The congress maintained that a permanent salary increase would offer more reliable relief than temporary allowances, which it said had not reached workers evenly.

It said, “Talks on a new national minimum wage must not serve as a pretext for delaying an urgent pay rise.”

In addition to salary increases, the TUC urged federal, state, and local governments to roll out measurable measures to lower the cost of essential goods and services.

It called on the authorities to guarantee prompt payment of salaries and pensions, safeguard existing jobs, check exploitative labor practices, and revive the productive sector so as to generate decent employment.

The congress said economic hardship was not confined to federal workers but also hit state and local government employees, pensioners, private-sector workers, and those in the informal economy.

It demanded properly funded interventions with clear timelines for implementation, maintaining that government announcements must result in real improvements to the living conditions of Nigerians.

The TUC also accused the Federal Government of neglecting to honor an agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions following months of industrial action.

According to the congress, its president, Osifo, headed a delegation of organized labor, including JOHESU leaders and a representative of another labor congress, in talks aimed at resolving the dispute.

The talks led to a conciliation meeting at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, where both sides agreed on a communiqué.

The Federal Government delegation was headed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, together with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the then Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.

The TUC said JOHESU suspended its industrial action in good faith once the agreement was signed but accused the government of failing to meet its own obligations.

It stated that the agreement made provision for settling outstanding issues concerning the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, known as CONHESS.

However, the congress alleged that seven months on from the agreement, the adjustment had still not been implemented.

“While the workers have kept their side of the bargain, the government hasn’t kept its side of the agreement,” the statement said.

The TUC characterized the delay as a violation of the principle of good faith, cautioning that failing to honor agreements could erode confidence in collective bargaining between the government and organized labor.

It called for the immediate implementation of the CONHESS adjustment, the publication of a clear implementation timetable, the provision of the required budgetary allocations, and the settlement of all outstanding issues in consultation with the relevant unions.

The congress said health workers should not be expected to keep providing essential services while the commitments made to them went unfulfilled.

It stated that the agreement made provision for settling outstanding issues concerning the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, known as CONHESS.

However, the congress alleged that seven months on from the agreement, the adjustment had still not been implemented.

“While the workers have kept their side of the bargain, the government hasn’t kept its side of the agreement,” the statement said.

The TUC characterized the delay as a violation of the principle of good faith, cautioning that failing to honor agreements could erode confidence in collective bargaining between the government and organized labor.

It called for the immediate implementation of the CONHESS adjustment, the publication of a clear implementation timetable, the provision of the required budgetary allocations, and the settlement of all outstanding issues in consultation with the relevant unions.

The congress said health workers should not be expected to keep providing essential services while the commitments made to them went unfulfilled.

“The TUC demands tangible action, not further assurances,” it said, pledging to stand with affected unions and pursue lawful measures to compel the government to comply with the agreement.

The congress restated that workers were not asking for special treatment but were instead demanding better living conditions and respect for their rights.

“Workers’ welfare is not a privilege. Agreements have to be honored. Workers’ rights have to be respected. The government must comply,” the statement added.

The TUC stated that it was waiting for the result of its planned meeting with the federal government before it would decide on its next course of action.

The dispute arises amid Nigeria’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which has increased pressure on organized labor to secure higher wages and measures that protect workers’ purchasing power.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the new national minimum wage law, which raised the statutory minimum monthly wage from N30,000 to N70,000 after negotiations between the Federal Government and organized labor.

The agreement came after months of disagreement over how much workers should earn, given the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy and other economic reforms on transport, food, and household expenses.

Organized labor had originally demanded a considerably higher minimum wage, while the government and employers expressed concerns about whether employers, especially state governments and businesses, could afford the proposed increases.

The resulting N70,000 minimum wage set a new statutory floor for eligible workers, but it did not automatically settle demands for salary adjustments across different grades or address the wider rise in the cost of living.

The 2023 wage award was introduced as a temporary relief measure during negotiations over the new minimum wage.

The TUC’s latest statement renews concerns about how that arrangement is being implemented and argues that future relief should be built around permanent salary increases.

The JOHESU dispute is a separate but related challenge involving pay and the implementation of agreements in the health sector.

The union’s demands concerning CONHESS have been a source of industrial tension, and the latest TUC statement accuses the government of failing to implement the adjustment covered by the settlement.

In its statement, the congress did not call for an immediate nationwide strike but said it would decide its next steps once it received the outcome of its planned meeting with the federal government.

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