The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed ₦70,000 wage award, demanding an immediate salary increase for workers and the implementation of outstanding agreements with health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The congress said temporary wage awards were inadequate to address the growing economic hardship facing 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 position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the TUC President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, N.A. Toro, following a National Administrative Council meeting held in Abuja on 8 October 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 the amount employers could pay.
“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 statement said.
The congress proposed that the government raise the salary of the lowest-paid worker to ₦300,000 from the current ₦70,000, with corresponding adjustments to other salary levels.
It maintained that although negotiations on the national minimum wage remained important, they should not be used to delay urgent salary increases for workers struggling with rising food, transport, healthcare and other essential costs.
The TUC said its leadership had held consultations 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.
The TUC said some workers were still owed one or two months of payments, while others had not received the allowance at all.
It further alleged that payments to workers who benefited from the award were irregular, with some receiving their allowances at intervals of one or two months and having to make repeated demands before being paid.
The congress also claimed that more than 80 per cent of states and workers in the informal sector had not benefited from any form of wage award.
It argued that a permanent salary increase would offer more reliable relief than temporary allowances, which it said had failed to reach workers uniformly.
“Negotiations of a new national minimum wage must not become an excuse for postponing urgent pay increment,” the congress stated.
Beyond salary increases, the TUC urged federal, state and local governments to introduce measurable interventions to reduce the cost of essential goods and services.
It called on the authorities to ensure the timely payment of salaries and pensions, protect existing jobs, curb exploitative labour practices and revitalise the productive sector to create decent employment opportunities.
The congress said the economic hardship affecting Nigerians was not limited to federal government workers but extended to state and local government employees, pensioners, private-sector workers and people in the informal economy.
It maintained that urgent and sustained action was needed to improve workers’ purchasing power and address the rising cost of living.
