Osifo Rejects N70k Allowance Deal, Says TUC Excluded From Talks
TUC President Festus Osifo rejects the N70,000 transport allowance agreement negotiated by NLC President Joe Ajaero, calling it an "aberration" because TUC was excluded from talks. Appearing on Channels TV's The Morning Brief Monday, Osifo challenged Ajaero to produce ILO regulations allowing one union to negotiate for another.
Osifo argues the meeting where the allowance was agreed wasn't a valid Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council (JNC) session—the Minister and Ajaero aren't JNC members, and quorum requirements weren't met. He claims Ajaero misused JNC to apply a flat N40,000 increase (the difference between the old N30,000 minimum wage and new N70,000) across all federal workers, resulting in "abysmally poor" earnings.
The dispute centers on whether NLC can negotiate on behalf of TUC's 40 affiliates. Osifo says ILO tripartite structure requires both bodies to negotiate together, not one for the other. He confronted Ajaero directly, calling the approach "fundamentally wrong."
Federal workers currently receive the N70,000 transport support approved by President Tinubu for six months. The allowance takes effect immediately but the negotiation process remains contested.
If you're a federal worker, does this leadership split strengthen or weaken your bargaining power for future wage reviews?