The minimum wage committee is expected to reconvene in April while minimum wage will be announced by President Bola Tinubu on May 1, 2024.
Due to continue further negotiations and consultations on the 37-member tripartite committee on minimum wage set up by the Federal Government will reconvene mid-April.
This development was revealed by the National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Hakeem Ambali, (a member of the tripartite committee) during an interview in Abuja on Sunday.
According to Ambali, the committee members are still collating and analyzing the reports received from the zonal public hearings.
Between Wednesday, March 27, 2024 and Thursday, March 28, 2024, the committee had received the reports of zonal public hearings held across the six geo-political zones of the country.
The expected minimum wage to be able to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit.
While the minimum wage plan is in progress, different zones had suggested different amounts for minimum wage during the public hearings.
The South West zone had suggested N794,000; the North East proposed N560,000 as minimum wage; North West proposed N485,000; the North Central proposed N709,000; South South demanded N850,000 while the South East demanded N540,000.
Ambali while making comments on the outcome of the meeting held recently, said, “We have been compiling and analysing zonal reports.”
When asked about the date fixed for the next meeting of the committee, he said, “Mid-April.”
Tinubu, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, on January 30, 2024, set up the 37-member panel at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.
With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.
In his opening address, Shettima urged members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early as the current N30,000 minimum wage expires at the end of March 2024.
“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.
Going memory lane, in May 2017, the House of Representatives moved to amend the National Minimum Wage Act for a compulsory review of workers’ remuneration every five years.
