By Chinedu Echianu
The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have agreed on a N70,000 monthly transport allowance for workers across all levels of the public service for six months, beginning in November 2026, as part of measures to cushion the impact of economic hardship.
The agreement was reached at a conciliation meeting between the two parties at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja on Tuesday.
A resolution issued at the end of the meeting also provides for the payment of outstanding peculiar allowances to eligible workers in three equal monthly instalments, beginning in November.
The government further agreed to redeem 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers within three months, starting from December 2026.
On the proposed national minimum wage review, both parties agreed that a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted immediately to commence discussions. However, they disagreed on the effective date for implementing the new wage.
The meeting followed the NLC’s concerns over the government’s handling of workers’ demands, as contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Congress’s Central Working Committee and National Executive Council.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment had earlier convened a conciliation meeting on October 22, followed by Tuesday’s meeting, to address the outstanding issues.
On tax relief for workers, the parties agreed that the matter would be taken to the National Executive Council, given its statutory implications.
The resolution also addressed hazard allowances for agricultural officers, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security submitting a list of beneficiaries and the associated costs to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission for verification.
The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the commission will issue an implementation template.
Similarly, the commission is expected to complete an updated cost assessment for the proposed adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) within three weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to take a decision.
The Federal Government and the NLC also agreed that state and local governments should participate in the intervention process, while relevant unions were urged to push for the implementation of the resolutions.
Both parties are expected to reconvene in one month to assess the level of implementation.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero; and National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Olowoye Gbenga, among other government and labour representatives.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
