The Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage on Thursday issued a revised minimum wage recommendation for each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission’s chairman, Ekpo Nta, led the committee in emphasizing the importance of active stakeholder participation in the process.
A public hearing was scheduled for March 7 at several venues in Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, and Abuja, according to Punch.
The Chairman said, “We invite state and local governments, labor unions, employers, civil society groups, SMEs, and other stakeholders in the six geopolitical zones to attend.” Stakeholders were urged to submit memoranda, including their proposed new national minimum wage for workers.
The breakdown of recommendations from the six zones revealed diverse demands. In the North West, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) proposed a necessary minimum wage of N485,000, citing economic dynamics.
Meanwhile, the North East labor unions jointly recommended a monthly national minimum wage of N560,000, with varying suggestions from state governments.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the NLC proposed a revised minimum wage of N709,000, contrasting the TUC’s recommendation of N447,000. Economic challenges were emphasized, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by many Nigerian workers.
The South-West NLC demanded N794,000 as the new national minimum wage, while the South-South chapter suggested N850,000. In the south-east, the NLC and TUC jointly proposed N540,000 and N447,000, respectively, emphasizing the erosion of the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage’s purchasing power due to inflation.
The ongoing hearings addressed various recommendations, with the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, chairing the events. Notably, the Federal Government inaugurated the tripartite committee on January 30, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
He urged a speedy resolution as the current N30,000 minimum wage expires at the end of March 2024.
