…national wage law now to be reviewed every 3 years
After several months of foot-dragging and forth-and-back with Labour unions on the issue of a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers, the Federal Government on Thursday said it has reached an agreement with the unions on N70,000 as the new minimum wage.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said the agreement was reached at a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja.
The Federal Government’s action is coming about three months after the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State raised the minimum wage for the state’s civil and public servants from N40,000 to N70,000.
Obaseki had, while delivering a speech at the commissioning of the Edo State Labour House Complex at Temboga, Ikpoba Hill, in Benin City on April 29, announced the new minimum wage for Edo workers effective May 1, 2024.
“I give you insurance, improved conditions of service, pay you and promote you on time but the truth is that because of the economic situation in Nigeria today, our workers continue to be challenged; devaluation, high food prices and inflation have made nonsense of the N40,000 we are paying you,” Obaseki had said.
“For us in Edo State, we have decided to move the minimum wage from N40,000 to N70,000 effective from 1st of May 2024. I think like a capitalist and not a comrade. In my May Day speech, I will give more details on our new minimum wage. If the Federal Government imposes something higher, we would make the necessary adjustments,” he had said.
Before then, Edo State government paid the highest minimum wage in the country, at a time the national minimum wage was still at N30,000.
Though the Thursday announcement by the Federal Government comes as a relief to Nigerian workers, some observers say the FG is merely playing catch-up with Edo State.
Addressing State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, Information Minister Idris, said, “We are happy to announce today (Thursday) that both the Organised Labour and the Federal Government have agreed on an increase on the N62,000 minimum wage. The new national minimum that Mr President is expected to submit to the National Assembly is N70,000.”
He said Tinubu promised to review the national minimum wage law every three years.
Idris was flanked by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, TUC President, Festus Osifo, Labour Minister, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, and other officials from both sides.
Ajaero also confirmed that N70,000 was where they were on the issue of the minimum wage.
He also said that part of the discussion was that the minimum wage would no longer wait till after five years to be reviewed. According to him, the agreement was that the minimum wage would now be reviewed every three years.
Ajaero said the Organised Labour would consult with their members on the N70,000 benchmark.
“We were here last week. And we are here now. What they have announced in terms of the amount of N70,000 happens to be where we are now. But the thing about it is that we will not wait for another five years to come and agree,” Ajaero said.
On her part, Onyejeocha said Tinubu had also directed the Ministers of Finance and Budget, Wale Edun and Atiku Bagudu, respectively, to work out modalities on how to settle the issues with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
The “agreement” between the two sides followed a series of talks between labour leaders and the President in the last few weeks after months of failed talks between labour organs and a tripartite committee on minimum wage constituted by the President in January.
