Although the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum pay has not yet concluded its discussions, according to the Federal Government, workers will not lose anything because the new minimum pay will go into effect on May 1, 2024.
During the May Day celebration in Abuja on Wednesday, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Minister of State Labour, made this statement to the Nigerian workforce. She expressed disappointment that the new national minimum wage was not available before today, but said that extensive consultations are being held to guarantee that the document is released as soon as feasible.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has been urged to expedite the upward review of salary awards on several occasions by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
Recently, organized labor called for a new minimum wage of N615,000 to help workers deal with Nigeria’s high cost of living and myriad economic realities.
The labor unions bemoaned 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 must be updated to reflect the needs of modern workers in the economy.
