TUC rejects fresh wage award, demands sustainable salary increase for workers

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has declined a fresh wage award, advocating for a sustainable salary increase to enhance workers' welfare and purchasing power. According to a communiqué signed by TUC Secretary-General Nuhu Toro, an emergency National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting affirmed the union's stance. Toro emphasized that temporary measures are insufficient to address workers' financial struggles and that a permanent salary increase is crucial for improving living standards.

The TUC's demand for a salary rise stems from the Federal Government's inadequate execution of the 2023 wage award agreement, signed on October 2, 2023, which promised a wage award as an interim measure until the new national minimum wage became law. However, workers received only three months out of the 10 months agreed upon. Toro argued that another wage award would merely provide temporary relief and not the long-term intervention needed.

He also stressed that the national minimum wage should not be viewed as a limit on further salary negotiations. This position is shared by TUC affiliates, such as the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, the National Union of Allied Health Professionals, and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies.

The TUC's stance aligns with its concerns over the previous wage award's implementation, as well as the importance of adhering to International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, which safeguard freedom of association and the right to organise and bargain collectively. The union remains committed to constructive dialogue with the government to implement agreements from its October 8, 2026 meeting in Abuja.

The TUC's call for a permanent salary increase follows a letter submitted to the Federal Government in October 2026, requesting urgent action to alleviate economic hardship. Simultaneously, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to reduce petrol prices, initiate minimum wage negotiations, and address workers' demands, including the February 2026 settlement with Joint Health Sector Unions.

The TUC also urged timely salary and pension payments, protection of jobs, action against exploitative labour practices, and measures to lower the cost of essential goods and services, noting that these challenges affect all workers across Nigeria.