The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s planned N70,000 monthly transportation allowance for public servants, demanding an immediate salary increase that could raise the pay of the lowest-paid federal workers to N300,000.
The labour union said permanent salary increases would provide more effective relief for workers struggling with rising living costs than temporary allowances, which it argued had suffered from poor implementation and inconsistent payments in the past.
The Federal Government announced the six-month transportation allowance on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with implementation scheduled to begin in November, following a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
In a statement on Wednesday, October 28, the TUC said its position was consistent with a demand letter submitted to the Federal Government on October 8 through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“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.
TUC proposes N300,000 Minimum Wage
The TUC argued that the Federal Government could raise the salary of its lowest-paid workers from the current N70,000 minimum wage to N300,000, followed by consequential adjustments for other categories of workers.
The union cited state governments that have introduced minimum wages above N100,000, arguing that the Federal Government had the capacity to implement a more substantial increase.
“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,” it said.
The union acknowledged that minimum wage negotiations remain important because they affect workers across different salary grades. However, it insisted that the government could increase wages immediately without waiting for a new minimum wage negotiation.
“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 added.
