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The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has told the Federal Government that it can increase workers’ salaries without negotiating a new minimum wage, insisting that a permanent pay rise would provide more sustainable relief than the proposed ₦70,000 transport allowance.
TUC President Festus Osifo stated this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explaining that salary increases and minimum wage negotiations were separate issues that could be addressed independently.
Osifo said the union had made its position clear at a National Administrative Council meeting on October 8, followed by a world press conference.
“ You don’t need to negotiate minimum wage before the government can intervene in the plight of workers, not at all,” he said.
According to him, the government has the authority to improve workers’ earnings without waiting for a fresh minimum wage agreement.
Osifo cited countries where minimum wages remained unchanged for decades but governments still granted salary increases to workers through engagements with labour unions.
“There are some countries in the world where the minimum wage may not be negotiated for 25 years. The minimum wage can be fixed for 25 years, but at every point in time, there is always an intervention from government,” he said.
He added that the distinction between minimum wage and salary increments gave the government room to address workers’ financial difficulties without reopening minimum wage negotiations.
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“Increment in salary and minimum wage are very different. Minimum wage is minimum, but there is no maximum wage,” the TUC president said.
He argued that the government could independently review workers’ salaries to improve their welfare, adding that such interventions were possible across different establishments.
Osifo’s comments followed the Federal Government’s announcement of a ₦70,000 transport allowance for workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026.
The intervention was approved after a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, to address issues raised by organised labour.
However, the TUC rejected the proposed allowance, calling instead for a lasting salary increase and the implementation of the agreement with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
Explaining the union’s position, Osifo said workers needed a permanent solution rather than temporary financial support.
“If what you are offering today is a temporary measure, we reject it; we want something that is much more sustaining and something that is more much more permanent,” he said.
He added that the union might have considered the proposal if the money had been incorporated into workers’ salaries rather than provided as a temporary allowance.
