Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, announced that the Tripartite Committee on the national minimum wage is on the verge of finalizing a new agreement. Following a marathon 12-hour meeting on Friday, Uzodimma shared, “We had very productive discussions. As you know, this is a technical subcommittee within a larger committee. We are nearing consensus, and once we reach the plenary stage, I believe we will achieve full agreement. At that point, the media can take over. We are definitely in a better position now.”....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Uzodimma explained that the committee members have completed their unit meetings and are moving towards the plenary session to harmonize their decisions and establish a final figure.
The organised labour previously rejected a proposal of N60,000, leading to a nationwide strike on Monday. However, the strike was suspended on Tuesday after the Federal Government pledged to increase the minimum wage beyond N60,000 as negotiations resumed.
This recent meeting, the fifth since the suspension of the strike, took place behind closed doors at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja. Notable attendees included the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Minister of Labour and Employment (State) Nkiruka Onyejeocha, Governor Hope Uzodimma, representatives from the Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Finance Minister Wale Edun, and Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu.
Despite these developments, the 36 state governors represented by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have expressed concerns over the proposed N60,000 minimum wage. A statement from the Forum’s Acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Relations, Mrs. Halima Ahmed, highlighted that such a wage is unsustainable, warning that many states would deplete their monthly allocations solely on salaries if it were implemented.
The governors urged the tripartite committee to agree on a fair and sustainable minimum wage.