SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, (THEWILL) – The Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has approved a 29-member National Minimum Wage Committee to negotiate with labour unions in order to determine a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
THEWILL recalls that workers have been agitating for a minimum wage of N50,000, almost three times more than the present N18,000 which was approved over five years ago.
This was disclosed by the Minister for Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the end of the meeting in Abuja, saying members will be drawn from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Organised Private Sector, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
This confirms what Ngige disclosed, last Friday, that FEC would review the report of the 16- man Technical Committee on Minimum Wage and Palliatives which had submitted its report to the main committee, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“So the report is now being taken to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval next week and then the Acting President will constitute a National Minimum Wage Review Committee,” he had said.
“This National Minimum Wage Review Committee will then fix a new minimum wage for the country.
“It has become imperative for a new minimum wage, because the last minimum wage has a life span of five years – it was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan- and it elapsed by Aug. 2016.”
“So it is a law that it would have a national application for both those in the private sector and those in the public sector.
“So the implementation of the national minimum wage is not only for the Federal Government alone. We must all sit together and come out with an acceptable agreement,” he said.