The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 wage award, demanding an immediate salary increase for workers and the implementation of outstanding agreements with health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions.
The congress said temporary wage awards were inadequate to address the worsening economic hardship confronting Nigerian workers, insisting that the government should increase salaries rather than introduce relief measures that might not be implemented consistently.
The TUC also accused the Federal Government of failing to fulfil its 2023 wage award obligations to some workers and 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 increasing 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 could raise the salary of the lowest-paid worker to N300,000 from the current N70,000 and apply the appropriate consequential adjustments to other salary levels.
It maintained that while negotiations on the national minimum wage remained important, they should not be used as a reason to delay urgent salary increases for workers struggling with rising 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, raising concerns about the credibility of another temporary arrangement.
“The wage award agreed between FGN and organised labour 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 added that some workers were still being owed one or two months’ payments, while others had not received the allowance at all.
The Congress also alleged that workers who received the award did not always get their payments monthly, with some experiencing intervals of one or two months and having to make repeated demands before receiving their entitlements.
It further claimed that more than 80 per cent of states and workers in the informal sector had not benefited from any form of wage award.
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“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 TUC asked.
The congress insisted that a permanent salary increase would provide more dependable relief than temporary allowances, which it said had failed to reach workers uniformly.
It stated, “Negotiations of a new national minimum wage must not become an excuse for postponing urgent pay increment.”
Beyond salary increases, the TUC called on federal, state and local governments to introduce measurable interventions to reduce the cost of essential goods and services.
It urged the authorities to ensure timely payment of salaries and pensions, protect existing jobs, curb exploitative labour practices and revitalise the productive sector to create decent employment.
The congress said economic hardship was not limited to federal workers but also affected state and local government employees, pensioners, private-sector workers and people in the informal economy.
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