The Trade Union Congress has turned down the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 wage award, insisting instead that the salary of the lowest-paid federal worker be raised to as much as N300,000.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the congress argued that the government’s offer is both temporary and insufficient, and would do little to ease the burden of soaring living costs on Nigerian workers. According to the TUC, there is no legal barrier to a pay raise without reopening national minimum wage negotiations, since no law caps what workers can earn.
The union pointed to several state governments already paying above ₦100,000 as evidence that the Federal Government could go further, with matching adjustments across the salary grades. What workers need, the TUC said, is a permanent boost to their earnings rather than short-term palliatives.
The congress also questioned the government’s credibility, recalling that a wage award agreed in October 2023 was never fully implemented, leaving some workers shortchanged. That experience, it said, has eroded trust in the bargaining process and cast doubt on whether new promises would be kept. The TUC is asking for a clear implementation timeline and proper budgetary provisions to back any salary adjustment.
Separately, the union demanded that the agreed adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for JOHESU members be implemented without further delay, noting that seven months have passed since the deal was struck. It warned that unresolved commitments could undermine confidence in agreements reached with organised labour — the very terms that persuaded JOHESU to call off its strike.
The TUC said it is waiting to see the final outcome of a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government before deciding its next move. It wants firm commitments on salary increases, the JOHESU agreement and other outstanding wage matters.
The congress clarified that its N300,000 figure is a proposal for the government to consider, not an approved new salary.
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