The Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage set up by the President Tinubu administration is calling on the stakeholders for participation in proposing and implementing of a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. The Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, made this known through a statement released on today Friday, saying that the committee has pencilled March 7th for a public hearing. It was learned that the retired Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, will be heading the committee, as inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The mandate of the committee’s is to consult all stakeholders on the issue of national minimum wage and consider the wage in the context of the dynamics of the current national economy.
Part of the mandate is also to recommend a realistic and practical national minimum wage to the government, ensuring that all stakeholders are carried along to its logical conclusion.
According to the Head of Service, the committee has scheduled the said public hearings in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
The statement partly said, “The venue for North-East will be Banquet Hall, Government House, Yola, Adamawa State; North-West Africa House, Government House, Kano; and South-South will be Ibom Hall, IBB Way, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
It added, “We invite the State and Local Governments, labour unions, employers of labour, civil society groups, small and medium enterprises and other stakeholders in the six geo-political zones to attend.
The chairman called on all stakeholders to present an encapsulating memorandum which should include the proposed new national minimum wage per month for Nigerian workers.
The statement explained that “It should contain a proposed coverage in terms of the number of employees engaged by any agency and the area of economic activity to be excluded, if any.
“It should contain proposals on how to enhance and sustain high productivity in public and private sectors of the economy to sustain the recommendations.
“It should include frequency and mechanism of future reviews; and proposed penalties for contravening the National Minimum Wage Act by individuals or corporate bodies.
“Other recommendations connected with the subject matter considered relevant and critical, will be welcomed,’’ he said.
Nta directed that the soft copies of the presentations should be sent to
Subsequently, they can call on the number below for enquiries and confirmation of delivery, contact the Director (Compensation) on 0806 555 3550.
During the inauguration on January 30, 2024, Shettima, in his opening remark urged members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early as the current N30,000 minimum wage expired at the end of March 2024.
“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima concluded.NAN