Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has dismissed the Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s rejection of the N70,000 monthly transportation allowance for public servants, insisting that the opposition will not affect the implementation of the agreement reached with the Federal Government.
The council said the agreement, which provides for the payment of the allowance for six months beginning from November 2026, followed extensive negotiations involving the Federal Government, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), JNPSNC and Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Trade Union Side, Comrade Olowoye Gbenga, the council disclosed that the meeting held on October 27 and presided over by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, lasted more than six hours before an agreement was reached.
Reacting to TUC’s rejection of the transportation allowance, JNPSNC acknowledged the Congress’s right to express its views on labour matters but maintained that it was not part of the negotiations that produced the agreement.
‘The rejection of any of the items by any Trade Union is inconsequential to the implementation of the agreement, especially the payment of N70,000 transportation allowance,’ the council declared.
It said the agreement was reached through constructive engagement and exhaustive negotiations, stressing that workers’ interests, irrespective of their union affiliations, should take precedence over disagreements among labour.