Civil servants reject ‘hidden’ 40% pay formula, issue strike notice
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
Fresh industrial tension is brewing in the Federal Public Service as the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, has accused the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, of secretly manipulating the implementation of the newly approved 40 per cent peculiar allowance for federal workers.
JNPSNC letter dated May 6, 2026, by the national chairman and secretary, (Trade Union side), Benjamin Uyanto and Olowoyo Gbenga, respectively, condemned what it described as the “nonchalant attitude” of the commission in handling the allowance package and warned that failure to address workers’ concerns could trigger a nationwide strike beginning May 21.
The letter, titled “Re-Approval for Peculiar Allowance, Duty Tour Allowances and Other Welfare for Public Servants in Nigeria – Matters Arising,” accused the commission of excluding critical stakeholders from the process of arriving at the allowance table and circular.
Copies of the letter were also sent to key government agencies and officials to compel urgent intervention.
According to the JNPSNC, the 40 per cent peculiar allowance ought to be calculated based on the newly approved N70,000 national minimum wage as provided in the National Minimum Wage Act 2024.
However, it alleged that the computation released by the commission was “shrouded in complexity, secrecy and suspicion.”
The JNPSNC leadership said the refusal of the Executive Chairman of the NSIWC to involve the union side in discussions violated the principle of collective bargaining and created distrust among public servants.
“Firstly, it is against the principle of collective bargaining where all critical stakeholders are supposed to be in concurrence with whatever will be released as a functional and implementable table and circular,” the letter stated.
“Secondly, the approach of the Office of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is tantamount to unilateral decision-making full of complexity and shrouded with suspicion,” it added.
The union further alleged that the prolonged delay in implementing the allowance was a deliberate ploy aimed at saving government funds at the expense of workers already battling economic hardship.
JNPSNC leaders accused the commission of “conspiratorial tendencies against the collective interest of Nigerian workers,” claiming the matter had been dragged for over two years to the detriment of civil servants nationwide.
The council therefore demanded the immediate release of an “unambiguous circular and allowance table” clearly reflecting the 40 per cent peculiar allowance based on the N70,000 minimum wage. It also called for the inclusion of all stakeholders in future negotiations to prevent further suspicion and unrest.
Despite its grievances, JNPSNC commended President Bola Tinubu and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Walson-Jack, for approving several welfare packages for public servants announced on April 24, 2026.
However, the union warned that failure to urgently address the contentious allowance issue could plunge the country into an avoidable industrial crisis.
“The National leadership of the JNPSNC hereby demands appropriate actions to diffuse unnecessary tension already gathering momentum among public servants in the country,” the letter stated.
Labour observers say the dispute, if not swiftly resolved, could lead to one of the biggest shutdowns in the federal public service sector in recent years.
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