*To begin minimum wage negotiation with labour immediately
Michael Oche
The Federal Government has agreed to provide a N70,000 transport intervention for workers for six months beginning from November 2026.
The resolutions were reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
The resolution was signed by NLC president comrade Joe Ajaero and comrade Gbenga Olowoyo, National Secretary, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) on behalf of organised labour; while Taminu Yakubu, director general of the budget office and Dr Garba Abdul, permanent secretary in the head of civil service of the federation signed on behalf of government
According to the resolutions, the transport intervention would be paid across all levels for a period of six months.
The meeting, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, followed the NLC’s concerns over the government’s handling of issues affecting workers’ welfare.
The parties also agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee should be constituted and begin meetings immediately. However, they acknowledged that disagreement remained over the effective date for implementing the new minimum wage.
Other issues discussed included the reduction of petroleum pump prices, palliatives to cushion the effects of economic challenges, public service welfare, the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), tax relief for workers and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.
On peculiar allowances, the resolutions stated that the Federal Government had approved payment with effect from May 1, 2026, while the payment of arrears would commence in November in three equal monthly instalments.
The meeting also resolved that 19 months’ arrears of allowances owed to health workers would be paid within three months, beginning from December 2026.
On hazard allowances for agricultural officers, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had submitted the list of beneficiaries and the 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 would issue the implementation template.
Similarly, the NSIWC is expected to complete the update of the cost implications of the CONHESS adjustment within three weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to take a decision on the matter.
On tax relief for workers, the meeting resolved that the issue would be taken to the National Executive Council, noting that taxation was a statutory matter.
The Federal Government and the NLC also urged state and local governments to key into the intervention process, while unions were encouraged to push for its implementation.
The parties agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the resolutions.
