The tripartite committee consisting of 37 members, appointed by the Federal Government, will reconvene in mid-April to resume negotiations and consultations regarding the upcoming minimum wage announcement, expected to be made by President Bola Tinubu on May 1, 2024.
Hakeem Ambali, the National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress and a member of the tripartite committee, disclosed this information during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
Ambali pointed out that the committee members are continuing to gather and evaluate the feedback received from the zonal public hearings.
Between Wednesday, March 27, 2024, and Thursday, March 28, 2024, the committee had received the reports from the zonal public hearings held across all six geo-political zones of the nation.
The upcoming disclosure of the minimum wage is forecasted to ease the burden caused by the elimination of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit.
At the public hearings, different zones offered different recommendations for the minimum wage.
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.
Speaking on the outcome of the recently held meeting, Ambali simply 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.
The panel, which includes representatives from federal and state governments, the private sector, and organized labor, is responsible for recommending a new national minimum wage for the country.
Shettima, in his introductory speech, emphasized the importance of members arriving at a speedy resolution and submitting their reports promptly, given that the current N30,000 minimum wage is due to expire by the end of March 2024.
“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.
In May 2017, the House of Representatives introduced a motion to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, aiming to enforce a periodic review of workers’ pay every five years.