The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has told the Federal Government that Nigerian workers need a proper salary increase, not another temporary wage award.
The Congress rejected the government’s proposed ₦70,000 monthly wage award, saying the approach had failed workers in the past.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, the TUC said wage awards were not sustainable.
The labour centre said workers were struggling with the high cost of food, transport, housing and healthcare, and that a salary increase would provide more lasting relief.
The TUC said it had already made its position known to the government in a letter dated October 8, following its National Administrative Council meeting in Abuja. It said its leadership later met with government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, where the proposed ₦70,000 wage award was discussed and rejected.
According to the Congress, there is no legal barrier preventing the government from increasing salaries without waiting for a new national minimum wage negotiation.
It argued that the national minimum wage is a floor, not a ceiling, and pointed out that some states are already paying minimum wages above ₦100,000.
The TUC maintained that the Federal Government could raise the salary of its lowest-paid worker from the current ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, with corresponding adjustments for other grade levels.
The Congress expressed distrust over fresh promises, citing the 2023 wage award. It recalled that the wage award agreement reached on October 2, 2023, was intended to remain in place until a new minimum wage was agreed in 2024.
“How can workers be expected to trust fresh promises when previous obligations remain outstanding?” the Congress queried.
The union alleged that the 2023 award was poorly implemented, with some federal workers receiving only part of the payments at irregular intervals after repeated pressure, while others received nothing. It also claimed that more than 80 per cent of states and workers in the informal sector did not benefit from any form of wage award.
Beyond pay, the Congress faulted the government’s handling of the health sector dispute. It said the agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), after months of negotiations at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, had not been implemented.
According to the TUC, the agreement covered the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The Congress said seven months after JOHESU suspended its strike in good faith, the adjustment had yet to be implemented.
It warned that health workers could not continue providing essential services while the government failed to honour its commitments, describing the delay as a breach of collective bargaining.
The Congress called on governments at all levels to reduce the cost of essential goods, pay salaries and pensions promptly, protect jobs and stop exploitative labour practices.
