The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance, demanding instead that the salary of the lowest-paid federal worker be raised to ₦300,000 to reflect the rising cost of living.
The labour centre argued that a temporary allowance would not provide lasting relief to workers struggling with the cost of food, transportation, healthcare and other essential needs, insisting that the government could increase salaries without waiting for another national minimum wage negotiation.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by TUC President Festus Osifo and Secretary-General N.A. Toro, following a National Administrative Council meeting held in Abuja on October 8, 2026.
The congress said it had formally written to the Federal Government through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, seeking an immediate salary review and arguing that there was no legal ceiling on the wages employers could pay.
“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 TUC said.
Under its proposal, the salary of the lowest-paid federal employee would rise from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000 monthly, with corresponding adjustments across other salary levels to maintain appropriate differences in earnings.
The TUC’s opposition to another temporary intervention is partly rooted in what it described as the incomplete implementation of the previous wage award negotiated by organised labour and the Federal Government on October 2, 2023.
According to the congress, some workers are still owed one or two months of the earlier allowance, while others allegedly received nothing. It also complained that payments to some beneficiaries were irregular, forcing them to repeatedly demand their entitlements.
“How do we go back to the same wage award that never benefited all workers? How can workers be expected to trust fresh promises when previous obligations remain outstanding?” the congress asked.
The labour body further alleged that more than 80 per cent of states and workers in the informal sector had not benefited from any wage award, raising concerns about the reach of temporary relief measures beyond federal employees.
It also accused the government of failing to conclude an agreement, reached seven months earlier, on adjustments to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The congress maintained that negotiations on a new national minimum wage should not prevent the government from responding to workers’ immediate financial difficulties. It urged federal, state and local governments to complement salary increases with practical measures to reduce the cost of essential goods and services.
The dispute places the focus on the difference between temporary financial assistance and a lasting improvement in workers’ earnings, with the TUC insisting that a substantial salary review, rather than another transport allowance, is needed to address the pressure on household incomes.
