The Minimum Wage Panel of the Federal Government has started compiling reports from different zonal public hearings. The PUNCH gathered.
Yusuf Kachalla, from the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, informed our correspondent on Wednesday about this development.
In January, the government revealed its intention to establish a new minimum wage to better represent the current economic situation.
Presently, the national minimum wage stands at N30,000, which labor unions argue is no longer practical due to the high inflation rate of 29.9% as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics.
President Bola Tinubu expressed his administration's dedication to implementing a new minimum wage to enhance the welfare of Nigerian workers during his New Year broadcast.
The government assembled a tripartite committee on January 30, 2024, to decide on a new minimum wage.
The committee, led by the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Goni Aji, has the task of consulting all stakeholders and suggesting a reasonable and practical national minimum wage to the government.
As part of this effort, zonal public hearings took place simultaneously on March 7 in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja.
In various states, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria proposed different amounts for a living wage, considering the current economic challenges and high living costs.
The NLC proposed N794,000 for South-West states, while the TUC mentioned N447,000.
During the North-Central hearing in Abuja, workers requested N709,000 as the new national minimum wage, with the South-South demanding N850,000.
Stakeholders in the North-West suggested N485,000, while those in the South-East demanded N540,000 as the minimum wage.
At the zonal hearing, governors requested a review of the revenue allocation formula to facilitate the implementation of the proposed national minimum wage.
In an update on Wednesday, Kachalla mentioned that the committee is currently compiling the reports from the zonal hearings and will soon schedule the next meeting.
In an update on the committee's progress, Kachalla stated, "The committee is currently collating the various reports from the zonal hearings first. The next meeting will be arranged soon.
The Minimum Wage Panel of the Federal Government has commenced compiling reports from various zonal public hearings, as reported by The PUNCH. Additionally, Yusuf Kachalla, from the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, provided this information to our correspondent on Wednesday.
