By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Federal Government has approved a monthly transport allowance of ₦70,000 for public service workers for six months, beginning in November 2026, following an agreement with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The agreement was reached on Tuesday, October 27, at a conciliation meeting between government representatives and labour leaders in Abuja to address rising living costs, workers’ welfare and outstanding agreements.
According to the resolutions contained in a memorandum of understanding signed at the meeting, the transport intervention will run from November 2026 for six months.
The government also approved the payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears effective from May 1, 2026. The arrears are to be paid in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
The meeting further agreed that 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers would be cleared within three months, starting from December 2026.
However, the government and organised labour failed to reach an agreement on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage negotiations.
Both parties agreed to constitute a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee and commence meetings immediately to address the outstanding issues.
The resolutions also covered hazard allowances for agricultural officers, a proposed adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure and tax relief for workers.
The parties agreed to reconvene after one month to review the implementation of the resolutions.
The meeting followed renewed pressure from organised labour for measures to ease the financial burden on workers amid rising transportation costs and other living expenses.
