N70,000 Allowance Showdown: Civil servants fire back at TUC, insist FG-Labour agreement stands

By Victor Ahiuma-Young Civil servants, under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), have defended the N70,000 monthly transportation allowance agreement reached between the Federal Government and organised labour, insisting that the rejection of the deal by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) will not affect its implementation.

The council also disclosed details of the agreement, including the payment of the transportation allowance for six months, implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, settlement of 19 months’ health workers’ allowance arrears and plans for salary adjustments in the health sector. The position of the JNPSNC was contained in a circular signed by its National Secretary, Comrade Gbenga Olowoyo, and addressed to national presidents and general secretaries of affiliated unions, as well as state chairmen and secretaries of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Councils across the federation.

According to the council, the agreement was signed on October 27, 2026, after more than six hours of negotiations involving the Federal Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), JNPSNC and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU). The N70,000 transportation allowance is to be paid monthly to public servants for six months, beginning from November 2026, to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs on workers and their dependants.

The council urged state and local governments to adopt the agreement and complement the Federal Government’s intervention, particularly in view of the revenue accruing to the sub-national governments. It said: “On the issue of payment of (N70,000) seventy thousand naira transportation allowance, which will be paid for the next six months to Public Servants starting from the month of November 2026, it was meant to subsidize the unbearable transportation cost being experienced by Nigerian workers.” The council also said the agreement provided for the implementation of the long-standing 40 per cent peculiar allowance, which it said should have commenced in July 2024 alongside the implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage.

It explained that the allowance would be extended to workers at the state and local government levels from November 2026, while arrears dating back to May 1, 2026, would be paid in three instalments. The JNPSNC further disclosed that the Federal Government had agreed to establish a tripartite negotiation committee comprising government, labour and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).

It said the committee was one of the major demands that informed the three-day warning strike initially called by the council on October 2, 2026. On health-sector demands, the council said the negotiations addressed the proposed adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which health workers had reportedly been demanding for 13 years.

It stated that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) had been given three weeks to conclude its work and submit the outcome to the Presidential Committee on Salaries, headed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, for final approval and implementation. The agreement also provided for the payment of 19 months’ arrears of health workers’ allowances in three instalments, beginning from December 2026.

The council said the meeting also resolved issues delaying the issuance of a circular to facilitate payment of hazard allowance to agricultural professionals in the public service. According to the circular, the NSIWC is expected to issue a template circular to guide implementation within three weeks. On tax relief for public servants and private-sector operators, the council said the parties agreed that the matter would be presented to the National Economic Council for deliberation because of its implications for federal and state governments and other stakeholders in the economy.

The JNPSNC added that the parties agreed to reconvene within one month to review implementation of the resolutions and ensure that none of them reneged on their commitments. It expressed concern over what it described as a persistent trust deficit surrounding labour agreements in the country, noting that several previous agreements with trade unions had not been implemented.

The council said the government side had assured the meeting that the latest agreement with the NLC, JNPSNC and JOHESU would not suffer the same fate. On the TUC’s rejection of the N70,000 transportation allowance, the JNPSNC maintained that the Congress was not part of the negotiations that produced the agreement. While acknowledging the TUC’s right to express its views, the council challenged it to negotiate a higher amount if it believed that workers deserved more than the N70,000 already agreed upon.

It also rejected the suggestion that the NLC represented only junior workers, explaining that its affiliated unions had members across ministries, de