FG to start minimum wage review

According to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), the process of evaluating the federal minimum wage will get underway on January 23.

The minimum wage act, which President Muhammadu Buhari signed, established N30,000 for both federal and state employees in 2019.

The NSIWC's spokesperson, Emmanuel Njoku, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that the commission had had a number of meetings and training sessions in advance of the act's planned statewide monitoring.

“The exercise will enlighten the public and private employers and organisations on the economic benefits of adhering to the payment of the national minimum wage,” he said.

“It will also help in obtaining baseline data on remuneration policies and practices of private sector organisations to enrich the commission’s data bank on staff compensation.

“The monitoring exercise will cover the 36 states of the federation including the federal capital territory.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) requested that the federal government reconsider the present minimum wage in October 2021, noting an increase in the cost of goods and services.

Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, who spoke on Workers Decent Work Day said: “N30,000 cannot buy a bag of rice, and we know how the cost of goods or services has gone up. In fact, the worst is that when you retire, you have to struggle to get your benefits.”

Source