The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has renewed its demand for a sustainable salary increase for Nigerian workers, insisting that another temporary wage award would not adequately address the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power.
The Congress accused the Federal Government of failing to fully implement the 2023 wage award agreement, alleging that workers received an average of only three months’ payment out of the 10 months agreed upon.
The position was contained in a communiqué issued after the Congress’s emergency National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting on Wednesday and signed by its Secretary-General, Comrade Nuhu Toro.
According to the TUC, the wage award agreement, reached on October 2, 2023, was expected to remain in effect until the new minimum wage was signed into law on July 29, 2024.
However, the Congress lamented that the government failed to fulfil the agreement in full, leaving workers with significantly fewer payments than expected.
The TUC maintained that the minimum wage should serve as the statutory minimum for workers’ earnings rather than a ceiling, arguing that a permanent salary adjustment would provide a more effective solution to workers’ economic challenges.
It stated that a sustainable salary increase would offer a more meaningful intervention to improve workers’ purchasing power and living standards.
The NAC also acknowledged the positions of some of its public-sector affiliates, including the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), the National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRAI).
The council said their positions aligned with its longstanding commitment to protecting workers’ welfare and collective bargaining rights.
It stressed that the interests of workers could not be advanced by disregarding the rights of affiliated unions or undermining their legitimate representation in matters affecting their conditions of service.
The Congress further reaffirmed its mandate as a recognised trade union centre to represent and negotiate on behalf of its members, citing International Labour Organisation Conventions 87 and 98, which guarantee freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Meanwhile, the NAC said it would pursue constructive and result-oriented engagement with the Federal Government to implement resolutions reached at its October 8, 2026 meeting in Abuja and address outstanding issues affecting federal and state government employees.
It also urged its leaders to concentrate on securing a salary increase through dialogue with relevant stakeholders rather than engaging in public exchanges over the matter.
Reaffirming its commitment to collective decision-making and accountability, the council noted that it remained answerable to the National Executive Council, the Congress’s highest decision-making organ between delegates’ conferences.
The TUC concluded by reiterating that workers’ welfare was non-negotiable and urged its leadership to remain focused on securing tangible improvements in the living conditions of Nigerian workers.
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