The Federal Government has agreed to pay workers a N70,000 transport intervention monthly for six months from November 2026, while approving the payment of outstanding peculiar allowances in three instalments.
The decisions formed part of resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday.
The document was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Director-General of Budget, Tanimu Yakubu; the Permanent Secretary, Special Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi, while the NLC President Joe Ajaero signed on behalf of the Congress.
The meeting also agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately, although both parties remained divided over the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage.
The resolutions followed concerns raised by the NLC over delays in addressing workers’ welfare demands, including the impact of rising living and transportation costs, outstanding allowances, tax relief and adjustments to health workers’ salaries.
According to the resolutions, the Federal Government approved the peculiar allowance with effect from May 1, 2026, with payment of arrears scheduled to begin in November and continue in three equal monthly instalments.
The agreement also provides for the settlement of 19 months’ outstanding allowances for health workers within three months, beginning in December 2026.
On the minimum wage, the parties agreed to constitute the negotiation committee and commence discussions immediately. However, the document acknowledged that disagreement over the effective date of implementation remained unresolved.
The meeting also addressed the demand for hazard allowances for agricultural officers, with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security submitting the list of beneficiaries and the associated cost implications to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for verification.
The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the commission will issue the implementation template.
On the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) adjustment, the NSIWC committed to completing an update of the cost implications within three weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to take a decision.
The issue of tax relief for workers, however, was referred to the National Economic Council (NEC), as the meeting noted that taxation was a statutory matter.
The conciliation process was initiated after the NLC expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s handling of its demands. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened an initial meeting on October 22, followed by Tuesday’s meeting to advance discussions on the outstanding issues.
While the NLC raised concerns about the government’s attitude towards the demands, the Federal Government reaffirmed its respect for the Congress’s right to advocate improved working conditions for Nigerian workers, stating that it was addressing the issues through a structured intervention.
The resolutions further urged state and local governments to participate in the intervention process, while encouraging unions to press for its implementation.
Both parties agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the resolutions.
