FG, TUC to hold talks over rising hardship

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Federal Government and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) are to hold a roundtable meeting on Thursday to discuss critical national economic, security and labour challenges amid rising hardship in the country.

The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, October 29, will take place at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) in Abuja.

The development was conveyed in a letter dated October 27, 2026, from the OSGF and addressed to the President-General of the TUC.

In the letter, the government acknowledged receipt of the congress’s request for an urgent meeting and conveyed the approval of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for a roundtable discussion with its members.

The letter was signed by Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Deputy Director, General Services Office, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The meeting comes amid disagreement between the Federal Government and organised labour over measures to cushion the effects of economic hardship on workers.

It reads in part: “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter Ref No.TUC/HQ/ADM26/856 dated 8th October, 2026 on the above subject and convey the approval of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to host a round table meeting with your esteem members.”

The Federal Government approved a N70,000 monthly transport allowance for six months, beginning in November, following a conciliation meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, October 27.

The resolutions were signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; the NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu; and other government and labour representatives.

However, the TUC, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, rejected the arrangement, describing it as a temporary intervention that would neither adequately address workers’ hardship nor provide lasting financial security.

The congress argued that the government did not need to wait for fresh minimum wage negotiations before approving a substantial salary increase, noting that no law prevented employers from paying above the statutory minimum wage.

“Government does not require minimum wage to be negotiated before increasing workers’ pay as there is no maximum wage law in the country.

“Temporary wage awards are not sustainable and far-reaching. How do we go back to the same wage award that never benefited all workers?

“How can workers be expected to trust fresh promises when previous obligations remain outstanding?” the congress asked.

The TUC maintained that the government could raise the salary of the lowest-paid worker to N300,000 and introduce corresponding adjustments for other categories of workers, rather than repeatedly approving short-term allowances that would expire without addressing inadequate earnings.

It recalled that the wage award agreed upon by the Federal Government and organised labour on October 2, 2023, was intended to provide temporary relief pending the conclusion of minimum wage negotiations in 2024.

According to the congress, some workers were still owed one or two months of the previous award, while others received nothing.

It also alleged that more than 80 per cent of states and the informal sector failed to implement any form of wage award.

“From the foregoing we further reiterate our demand for a pay raise for all government workers as salary is the only consistent and far-reaching pay that workers could rely upon.

“Government must move beyond policy announcements and demonstrate tangible improvements in the living conditions of Nigerians,” it said.

The congress also demanded prompt payment of salaries and pensions, protection of jobs, action against exploitative labour practices and measures to reduce the cost of essential goods and services.

It called for renewed efforts to revive the productive sector and create decent employment opportunities, insisting that government interventions must be adequately funded and accompanied by clear implementation timelines.

Meanwhile, pensioners have also protested their exclusion from the transport allowance, accusing the government and organised labour of leaving retirees out of an intervention intended to cushion the effects of economic hardship.