The Federal Government has approved a N70,000 monthly transport allowance for workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, as part of measures to cushion the effects of economic hardship.

The approval was one of the resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

According to the resolutions, the government also approved the payment of peculiar allowances, with arrears to be paid in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November 2026.

The peculiar allowance was approved with effect from May 15, 2026.

The meeting further resolved that 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers would be paid within three months, beginning in December 2026.

The conciliation meetings, which began on October 22 and continued on October 27, followed concerns raised by the NLC over the government’s handling of workers’ welfare demands.

Other issues discussed included the commencement of negotiations on the national minimum wage, reduction in petroleum pump prices, tax relief for workers, hazard allowances for agricultural officers and the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).

On the minimum wage, the parties agreed that a negotiation committee would be constituted and begin work immediately. However, they remained divided over the effective date for implementing the new wage.

Regarding hazard allowances for agricultural officers, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had submitted the list of beneficiaries and the associated costs to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for verification.

The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the commission will issue an implementation template.

On the CONHESS adjustment, the NSIWC committed to completing an updated cost assessment within three weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to make a decision on the adjustment.

The issue of tax relief for workers will be presented to the National Executive Council for consideration, as taxation is a statutory matter.

The Federal Government, while acknowledging the NLC’s right to advocate improved working conditions, said it was working to address the concerns through structured interventions.

Both parties agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the resolutions.

The resolutions also urged state and local governments to participate in the intervention process, while labour unions were encouraged to push for the implementation of the agreed measures.