The Federal Government has guaranteed workers that the new minimum wage will go into effect today, May 1, 2024 despite ongoing talks within the tripartite committee on National minimum wage.
Minister of State Labour Nkeiruka Onyejeocha addressed Nigerian workers during the May Day celebration in Abuja, highlighting that while the discussions have not yet reached a conclusion, efforts are being made to quicken the process and guarantee the early announcement of the new minimum wage.
Onyejeocha expressed regret over the delay for the new national minimum wage and assured workers that extensive consultations are still in progress to enable the prompt formulation of the necessary document.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have constantly pushed President Bola Tinubu’s administration to quicken the upward adjustment of wage structure.
Recently, Organized Labor has advocated for a new minimum wage of N615,000, pointing out that Nigerian workers must deal with the country’s high cost of living as well as current economic issues.
The labor unions lamented that not all governors were paying the current wage award, which expired in April, five years after former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Minimum Wage Act of 2019, claiming that the current minimum wage of N30,000 could no longer support the well-being of the average Nigerian worker.
Every five years, the Act is to be reviewed in order to ensure that it still meets the contemporary economic needs of workers.
