JNPSNC WELCOMES APPROVAL OF N70,000 TRANSPORT SUPPORT FOR NIGERIAN WORKERS
The National leadership of the JNPSNC has been inundated with anxieties through several calls seeking clarification on the agreement signed with the federal government which led to the approval of (N70,000) seventy thousand naira transportation allowance for all Public Servants in Nigeria and what triggered rejection of same by the Trade Union Congress. (TUC )
As a matter of fact, all the items contained in the agreement signed on the 27th October,2026 was as a result of constructive engagement and exhaustive negotiation at a meeting presided over by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment Alhaji Dr Mohamed Maigari Dingyadi CON and attended by the Labour team led by the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC Comrade Joe Ajaero with the adequate participation by the National leadership of both Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) and Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU)
This was contained in a circular signed by the National Secretary of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council Comrade Gbenga Olowoyo and addressed to the National Presidents and General Secretaries of all affiliated unions of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council as well as State Chairmen and Secretaries of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council across the State councils of the Federation
The circular reads in part;
“The meeting was not only tough but
also took more than six hours before both the Federal Government and Labour sides could enter into terms.
On the issue of payment of (N70,000 ) seventy thousand naira transportation allowance, which will be paid for the next six months to Public Servants starting from the month of November 2026, , it was meant to subsidize the unbearable transportation cost being experienced by Nigerian workers, it is expected that State and local governments will be patriotic enough ( and with humongous money accruable to both State and Local Governments) to concur with the agreement in order to complement the federal government effort to facilitate its implementation at both states and local governments levels purposely to ameliorate the hardship of Nigerian workers and their dependants.
Also, the agreement cemented the implementation of the long overdue 40% peculiar allowance that will reflect the N70,000 minimum wage, the implementation of the peculiar allowance ought to have started since July 2024 when the implementation of 2024 New national minimum wage has commenced , this will equally be domesticated at the sub National levels ( i.e State and local governments) with effect from November, 2026 while the arrears from 1st May, 2026 will be paid in three tranches to all Public Servants.in Nigeria.
It is very expedient to state loudly that Federal Government agreed to set up the Tripartite negotiation committee ( which will comprise Government, Labour and NECA representatives) with immediate effect, which form part of focal request from the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council JNPSNC under the National leadership of Comrade Benjamin Anto Uyanto mni, that necessitated the three days warning strike called abinito by the National leadership of JNPSNC on the 2nd October ,2026.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, which was established in 1948, to negotiate on matters affecting Nigeria Public Servants and Public Service as an ecosystem, has eight affiliate Unions .
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) in Nigeria brings together eight core public-sector trade unions organized into Joint Councils (Councils I, II, and III). These affiliated bodies include the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE), Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW), National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW), and the National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAEE).
The statutory responsibilities of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side and Government Side) is to act as a negotiating channel between the Government and Public Service Trade Unions (comprising Councils I, II, and III) during wage reviews, minimum wage implementations, general welfare of public service workers and industrial disputes.
It is equally expedient to disabuse the notion that Nigeria Labour Congress NLC is a Union of junior workers, whereas, all the unions affiliated to Nigeria Labour Congress have members across all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the Public Service up to Directorate level and even some top notch Public servants are due paying members of Trade unions of their respective choices
The above clarification became necessary because of the position taken on the matter by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that it rejected the approved N70,000 transportation allowance of which TUC was never part of the discussion ( although, Trade Union Congress has explicit right to express its opinion on any matter the TUC is directly involved but not on what it was not part of at any stage of the engagement or negotiation with the Federal Government)
However, it will be highly commended that the Trade Union Congress can get a higher amount above N70,000 already agreed to by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) and Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) which will be an added benefit to Public Servants.
There is no gainsaying that JOHESU agitations on the need for the government to implement its various agreements; the issue of CONHESS adjustments demand for the past 13 years, it was agreed at the meeting to give National Salary , income and Wages Commission (NSlWC ) three weeks to finish its work and forward to Presidential Committee on Salaries(PCS) headed by the Honourable Minister of Finance and coordinating Minister of the Economy for final approval and implementation.
Equally, the meeting approved the payment of nineteen (19) month arrears of Health workers allowances in three installments, with effect from December,2026. By implication, the meeting finally found solutions to the major flagship demands facing health workers over the years.
In the same vein, the meeting was able to resolve the issue affecting the issuance of circular that will facilitate the payment of the Hazard Allowance to Agricultural professionals Officers in the Public Service in Nigeria , the National salaries, income and wages commission is to issue a circular on the template table that will culminate into its implementation within the next three weeks.
On the Tax relief to Public Servants and private sector operators, the landmark resolution on the Tax relief was that the matter will be presented to the National Economic Council to deliberate on it because it will involve both Federal and State governments as well as other critical stakeholders in the Nigeria economic management.
The meeting further gave a window of one month ( at interval ) to reconvene in order to evaluate the level of implementation of the various items in the agreement so as to ensure that no party involved in the agreement failed on its own part.
The meeting further challenged Federal, State and Local Governments to bridge the trust-gap which has characterised previous agreements because most agreements entered into with several unions were never implemented willy nilly by the Federal Government.
To this end, the Government side at the meeting promised that the problem of trust-deficit will not rear its ugly head with the recent agreement with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) and Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).
Arising from the above, the various decisions taken at the meeting arose from due diligence and robust discussion, consequently, rejection of any of the items by any Trade Union is inconsequential to the implementation of the agreement (especially the payment of N70,000 seventy thousand naira among others) because a wider spectrum of workers and other stakeholders across the country have applauded the decision as a right step in a right direction.
The Federal Government, NLC , JNPSNC and JOHESU are hereby commended in this regard, because interest of all workers, irrespective of union they belong to is very paramount and sacrosanct”.
Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga milr fcia fimpa JP
National Secretary,
Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC)Trade Union Side
