TUC Urges FG to Raise Workers’ Salaries Now, Says Minimum Wage Review Can Wait

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has urged the Federal Government to increase workers’ salaries immediately, arguing that it does not need to wait for the next national minimum wage review to improve employees’ welfare.

TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, made the call on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Abuja after a meeting of the union’s National Administrative Executive Council. He said the government could independently raise federal workers’ salaries or increase the pay of the lowest-paid employees.

Osifo maintained that the national minimum wage should serve as a statutory wage floor, not a ceiling that prevents employers from paying workers more. He said the government could set a higher salary for its lowest-paid employee and adjust other salaries accordingly without waiting for a new Minimum Wage Act.

He cited the banking industry as an example, noting that university graduates employed by banks generally earn more than the statutory minimum wage. He said remuneration in such sectors is determined by the nature and value of the job rather than the minimum wage alone.

The TUC president said the same principle applied to food and beverage companies, including Nestlé and Cadbury, as well as oil and gas firms such as Shell, Chevron and TotalEnergies. According to him, pay in these industries reflects job responsibilities and the value employers place on workers, with living wages serving as a key consideration.

Osifo urged the Federal Government to take immediate action to improve workers’ incomes instead of leaving them to wait until the next statutory wage review. He disclosed that the TUC had engaged government officials, including the Minister of Finance and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on measures to improve workers’ welfare.

He also argued that workers’ allowances could be reviewed independently of the minimum wage. He said the government could increase salaries and allowances without opening a new minimum wage negotiation, stressing that employees should not bear the full burden of economic reforms until 2027.

Nigeria’s current national minimum wage of ₦70,000 was signed into law in 2024 for a three-year period. While organised labour is preparing for the next review, Osifo said the government and private employers already have the option of paying above the statutory threshold to improve workers’ living conditions.