The Federal Government has assured workers that the new minimum wage will take effect from May 1, 2024, even though the Tripartite Committee On National Minimum Wage is yet to conclude its negotiations. The Minister of State for Labour, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, made this announcement during the May Day celebration in Abuja, where she addressed Nigerian workers.
Earlier reports from THEBULLETIN NEWS indicated that the Federal Government had approved an increase of between 25% and 35% in salaries for civil servants across six Consolidated Salary Structures. These structures include the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS), and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).
According to a statement from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), signed by the Head of Press, Emmanuel Njoku, the salary increases will be effective from January 1, 2024.
While addressing the workers, the Minister expressed regret that the new national minimum wage was not ready before this year’s Workers’ Day. However, she assured them that extensive consultations were ongoing to expedite the process of finalizing the document.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been advocating for an upward review of wage awards from the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Recently, the Organised Labour demanded a new minimum wage of N615,000 to address the economic realities and high cost of living in Nigeria.
The labor unions have raised concerns that the current minimum wage of N30,000 is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the average Nigerian worker. They also lamented that not all governors were complying with the current wage award, which expired in April, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Act stipulates that the minimum wage should be reviewed every five years to align with current economic conditions.
