Civil servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, Trade Union Side, have demanded a new ₦500,000 monthly minimum salary for the lowest-paid public servants and a reduction of petrol prices to ₦500 per litre.
The workers made the demands in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, citing rising inflation, petrol prices and the declining purchasing power of workers.
They also called for the immediate constitution of a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage ahead of January 2027, when they want the revised wage structure to take effect.
The JNPSNC gave the Federal Government until Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to respond to its demands, warning that the worsening economic conditions were creating tension among workers and Nigerians.
The council comprises several public-sector unions, including the Nigerian Civil Service Union, Medical and Health Workers Union, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives.
Other unions in the council include the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees, NUPSRAW, National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers, and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees.
The workers said the removal of the petrol subsidy had contributed to higher fuel prices and increased the cost of transportation, food and other essential goods and services.
They said the recent increase in petrol prices to around ₦1,430 per litre and above in some locations had further worsened the cost-of-living crisis. Petrol has recently sold for as much as ₦1,500 per litre in some states.
The council rejected food palliatives as a long-term solution, arguing that government intervention should instead address the underlying pressures affecting household incomes.
It proposed a fuel intervention fund that would enable the government to bring petrol prices down to ₦500 per litre.
“Consequent upon the above, it is preferable that the Federal Government provides an intervention that will trickle down to all Nigerians by making fuel available at an affordable amount, as low as N500,” the council said.
The workers also called for measures to increase domestic refining and improve the availability of crude oil for local refineries.
They endorsed proposals previously put forward by NLC President Joe Ajaero, including the sale of sufficient crude oil in naira to local refineries and expansion of Nigeria’s national petroleum storage capacity.
The NLC has recently called for wage awards and measures to cushion workers against rising petrol prices, while also urging the government to sell crude to local refineries in naira.
On wages, the JNPSNC demanded an immediate wage award for federal, state and local government workers, alongside an upward review of salaries and allowances across the public service.
The council proposed that an officer on Grade Level 01, Step 1 should receive a minimum salary of ₦500,000 per month under the proposed 2027 salary structure.
It also called for harmonised wages across ministries, departments and agencies and encouraged similar reviews at the state and local government levels.
The council wants the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, to begin discussions with the NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, JNPSNC and other relevant stakeholders on the proposed wage award and salary review.
The workers said restoring purchasing power, improving productivity and public service delivery, promoting accountability and maintaining industrial peace were among the reasons for their demand.
They also called for periodic adjustments to salaries and allowances based on inflation, as well as measures such as subsidised transportation and affordable housing for public servants.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has backed the demands, with its Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, describing the call for a wage award and lower petrol prices as “realistic and legitimate.”
Upah said rising fuel prices had eroded workers’ earnings and made it increasingly difficult for many employees to afford transportation and provide for their families.
“Workers’ wages have remained static while inflation has continued to rise and erode the value of their earnings,” Upah said.
He added that increases in petrol prices affect transportation and the cost of essential goods and services, arguing that workers and other Nigerians need urgent intervention.
The latest demand comes after the Federal Government earlier directed the payment of two months of outstanding wage awards owed to federal civil servants, following negotiations with the JNPSNC.
The JNPSNC is now seeking a broader intervention covering current workers’ welfare, petrol prices and the negotiation of a new national minimum wage before the proposed January 2027 implementation date.
The Federal Government had not, as of the latest reports, announced acceptance of the ₦500,000 minimum salary or ₦500 petrol price proposed by the workers.
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