Get Guardian on GoogleThe Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has defended the Federal Government’s approval of a ₦70,000 monthly transportation allowance for public servants.
The public servants insisted that the Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s rejection of the agreement will not affect its implementation.
The council said the allowance, which is expected to run for six months from November 2026, was negotiated by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the JNPSNC and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs on workers and their dependants.
In a circular addressed to presidents and general secretaries of affiliated unions, as well as state chairmen and secretaries of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, the National Secretary of JNPSNC, Gbenga Olowoyo, said the agreement followed more than six hours of negotiations at a meeting presided over by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi.
Olowoyo said the negotiations produced several resolutions covering transportation support, peculiar allowances, health workers’ entitlements, tax relief and the establishment of a tripartite negotiation committee.
He urged state and local governments to adopt the transportation allowance to ensure that public servants at all levels benefit from the intervention.
The council also disclosed that the agreement provides for the implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, which it said should have commenced with the implementation of the new national minimum wage in July 2024.
According to the circular, the allowance will be domesticated at the state and local government levels from November 2026, while arrears covering the period from May 1, 2026, will be paid in three instalments.
On the controversy surrounding the TUC’s rejection of the transportation allowance, Olowoyo argued that the congress was not part of the negotiations that produced the agreement.
He maintained that the NLC, JNPSNC and JOHESU had the mandate to negotiate on behalf of their participating members and said objections from other unions should not prevent implementation of the agreed provisions.
However, he said the TUC would be commended if it could negotiate a higher allowance for public servants.
The council further disclosed that the Federal Government had agreed to establish a tripartite negotiation committee comprising government, labour and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).
Olowoyo said the committee’s establishment was among the key demands that informed the three-day warning strike the JNPSNC initiated on October 2, 2026.
On the longstanding demands of health workers, the circular said the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had been given three weeks to conclude work on adjustments to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and forward its recommendations to the Presidential Committee on Salaries for approval and implementation.
The agreement also provides for the payment of 19 months of outstanding health workers’ allowances in three instalments, beginning in December 2026.
Similarly, the council said the meeting resolved issues surrounding the issuance of a circular to facilitate the payment of hazard allowances to agricultural professional officers in the public service.
The salaries commission is expected to issue the relevant implementation guidelines within three weeks.
On tax relief for public servants and private-sector operators, Olowoyo said the matter would be presented to the National Economic Council for consideration because of its implications for federal and state governments and other stakeholders in economic management.
The meeting also agreed to reconvene within a month to assess implementation of the various provisions and ensure that all parties honour their commitments.
The council urged the Federal Government, state governments and local government authorities to address the trust deficit that has weakened industrial relations, noting that previous agreements with unions had often suffered delays or were not implemented.
The council said the latest agreement represented an important step towards addressing the financial pressures facing public servants, while urging all parties to ensure that the commitments translate into tangible benefits for workers.
