The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council says the six-month transportation allowance will cushion rising costs, while urging governments at all levels to implement the agreement.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has backed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the Federal Government’s N70,000 transportation allowance for public servants, dismissing the Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s rejection of the intervention.
The council said the allowance was a product of negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour, aimed at reducing the financial burden of rising transportation costs on workers and their dependants.
According to the council, the agreement provides for the payment of N70,000 monthly for six months, beginning in November 2026.
The JNPSNC’s position was contained in a circular signed by its National Secretary, Gbenga Olowoyo, and addressed to affiliated unions and state councils.
Olowoyo said the agreement followed a meeting held on October 27, 2026, presided over by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, with representatives of the NLC, JNPSNC and Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in attendance.
He explained that the meeting lasted more than six hours before the government and labour representatives reached an agreement on several issues affecting workers’ welfare.
The council maintained that the TUC was not part of the negotiations that produced the agreement, although it acknowledged the congress’s right to express its views on labour-related matters.
It also challenged the TUC to negotiate a higher transportation allowance if it believed the approved amount was inadequate, adding that any additional benefit secured for workers would be welcomed.
The disagreement follows the TUC’s rejection of the Federal Government’s six-month transportation allowance, with the congress calling for an immediate salary increase instead.
The TUC argued that temporary wage interventions were not sustainable and had failed to benefit all eligible workers in the past.
It also called on the Federal Government to increase the salaries of its lowest-paid workers from the current N70,000 minimum wage to N300,000, alongside applicable consequential adjustments.
The congress further urged the government to implement outstanding agreements with health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions.
Meanwhile, the JNPSNC said the agreement also covered the implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, with arrears dating back to May 1, 2026, to be paid in three instalments.
The council disclosed that the government had also agreed to establish a tripartite negotiation committee involving representatives of government, organised labour and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).
On health workers’ welfare, the council said the meeting approved the payment of 19 months’ arrears of allowances in three instalments, beginning in December 2026.
It added that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had been given three weeks to conclude work on adjustments to the Consolidated Health Workers Salary Structure (CONHESS) and forward its recommendations for approval.
The JNPSNC urged federal, state and local governments to honour the agreement, stressing that effective implementation would strengthen collective bargaining, restore confidence and improve workers’ welfare nationwide.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the rising cost of living and the declining purchasing power of Nigerian workers.
