JNPSNC Reaffirms September 30 Deadline, Demands ₦500 Petrol, Wage Award and New Minimum Wage Talks
Public servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council have reaffirmed their September 30, 2026, ultimatum to the Federal Government over the rising cost of petrol, a wage award and negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The council, which comprises eight public sector unions, said workers would commence a three-day warning strike from October 2 if the government failed to address the demands.
The JNPSNC is demanding that the price of petrol be reduced to ₦500 per litre, that a wage award be announced and that negotiations for a new minimum wage expected in 2027 begin.
In a statement issued by the council’s National Secretary and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Gbenga Olowoyo, the workers said the September 30 deadline remained unchanged.
The council said the high cost of petrol, which it put at between ₦1,450 and ₦2,000 per litre and as high as ₦2,500 in some areas, was placing severe pressure on workers and their dependants.
It called for an intervention fund to address fuel landing costs and urged the Federal Government to ensure crude oil is supplied to the Dangote Refinery and modular refineries on appropriate terms to support domestic refining.
The workers also demanded an immediate wage award to cushion the effects of the prevailing economic hardship.
On the minimum wage, the council called for the urgent establishment of a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The JNPSNC said early negotiations were necessary to prevent administrative or procedural delays that could affect implementation once a new wage is agreed and passed into law.
It warned that failure to address the demands by September 30 would trigger the three-day warning strike from Friday, October 2.
The council also said it expected President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address on October 1 to adequately address the concerns raised by Nigerian workers.