…agrees to begin minimum wage negotiations immediately
The Federal Government has agreed to commence minimum wage negotiations immediately and approved a N70,000 transport intervention for workers for six months, beginning from November 2026, following a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The agreement came amid demands by organised labour for urgent government action on workers’ welfare, including a reduction in petrol pump prices, improved wages, tax relief and the resolution of outstanding allowances affecting public servants.
The resolutions were reached at a meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, as a follow-up to an earlier conciliation meeting held on October 22 to address issues raised by the NLC over the deteriorating economic conditions facing Nigerian workers.
Under the agreement, the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee is to be constituted and commence meetings immediately. However, the parties acknowledged that they had yet to agree on the effective date of implementation of a new minimum wage.
The communiqué stated: “It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. It should, however, be noted that there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.”
The N70,000 transport intervention is among the measures agreed upon to cushion the effects of prevailing economic challenges on workers. The intervention is scheduled to run for six months from November 2026.
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However, the payment terms, including confirmation that the N70,000 is payable monthly to each eligible worker, require further clarification to establish the precise scope of the intervention.
The parties also agreed on the payment of arrears of peculiar allowances, which the Federal Government had approved with effect from May 1, 2026. Payment of the outstanding amounts is to commence in November and be made in three equal monthly instalments.
In another commitment to public-sector workers, the government agreed to redeem 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers within three months, beginning from December 2026.
The resolutions also addressed the long-standing demand for an adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which affects health-sector workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
On the issue, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) undertook to complete an updated assessment of the cost implications of the proposed CONHESS adjustment within three weeks.
The assessment is expected to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to consider and take a decision on the adjustment.
For agricultural workers seeking hazard allowances, the meeting was informed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had submitted the list of beneficiaries and the associated cost implications to NSIWC for verification.
The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the commission is to issue an implementation template.
The demand for tax relief for workers, however, remains unresolved. The meeting agreed that the matter should be referred to the National Executive Council (NEC), noting that taxation is a statutory matter.
The conciliation followed concerns expressed by the NLC leadership over the Federal Government’s handling of the issues raised by organised labour.
In response, the Federal Government reaffirmed its respect for the right of the Congress to advocate improved working conditions for Nigerian workers, stating that it was making efforts to address the issues through structured interventions.
The parties urged state and local governments to participate in the intervention process, while unions were encouraged to sustain efforts towards securing the implementation of the resolutions.
They further agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the commitments.
The reconciliation agreement was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, CON.
On the labour side, the signatories were the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and the National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Comrade Olowoye Gbenga.