Commencing minimum wage review committee now premature, inconsistent with law — Labour Minister

The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have disagreed over the timing of negotiations for a new national minimum wage, with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, describing the commencement of the review process as premature and inconsistent with the law, while the Congress insists that the process must begin immediately.

The disagreement followed an exchange of letters between Dingyadi and NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, over the Congress’s demand for the immediate constitution of a National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee ahead of the expiration of the current wage arrangement.

While the minister maintained that the existing N70,000 minimum wage, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on 29 July 2024, would become due for review on 1 June 2027, the NLC argued that negotiations must commence at least six months before the relevant deadline to prevent further delays and the accumulation of wage arrears.

In his letter dated 13 October 2026, responding to the communiqué issued after the joint meeting of the NLC’s Central Working Committee and National Executive Council, Dingyadi said the Federal Government respected organised labour’s right to demand improved working conditions but would not support an early commencement of the review process.

He stated: “Commencing a fresh review exercise barely two years into the implementation of the current wage, which represented over 133 per cent increase from the previous N30,000, would be premature, inconsistent with the law and disruptive to the orderly industrial relations system envisaged by the Act.”

The minister explained that the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as amended by the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, provided for a review of the national minimum wage every three years.

According to him, the current wage arrangement would expire and become due for review on 1 June 2027, when the government would convene the tripartite committee in line with Section 3(4) of the amended Act.

“At the appropriate time, in line with Section 3(4) of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, the government will convene the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee to commence negotiations for the next review,” he said.

Dingyadi also cited the Federal Government’s efforts to improve workers’ welfare, including the speedy conclusion of the 2024 minimum wage negotiations, efforts to ensure compliance by state governments and private-sector employers, and interventions such as the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative and food security programmes.

He added that the ministry had taken note of other demands in the NLC communiqué and was engaging relevant ministries, departments and agencies to address issues within the Federal Government’s jurisdiction.

However, Ajaero, in his response, faulted the minister’s interpretation of the law, insisting that the government was confusing the commencement of negotiations with the implementation of a new minimum wage.

While acknowledging the speed with which the ministry responded to the Congress’s communiqué, the NLC president said the government’s position was “fundamentally incorrect in law, economics, and social justice.”

The Congress argued that the 2019 Act had set the original statutory timeline for the wage review, with the process due in April 2024, before the eventual enactment of the 2024 amendment.

According to the NLC, the amendment did not erase the original timeline or justify further delays in commencing preparations for a new wage.

The labour centre maintained that established practice required negotiations to begin at least six months before the expiration of the existing wage arrangement to avoid a repeat of the delays that characterised previous negotiations.

It argued that preliminary steps, including calling for nominations, constituting the tripartite committee and setting the agenda, should begin well ahead of the actual negotiations.

“The government is not being asked to implement a new wage today, but to commence the process of negotiation,” Ajaero stated.

The NLC president further rejected the Federal Government’s argument that the 133 per cent increase from the previous N30,000 minimum wage demonstrated its commitment to workers’ welfare, saying rising inflation and the cost of living had eroded the value of the increase.

He said workers were struggling to afford transportation, food, shelter, healthcare and education, adding that government interventions had failed to provide sufficient relief from the economic hardship.

“The 133 per cent increase you celebrate has been rendered worthless by the devaluation of the naira and the astronomical rise in the cost of living, propelled mainly by the macroeconomic policies of the government, especially the hike in the price of petrol,” Ajaero said.

He also criticised the implementation of the CNG initiative, alleging that inadequate infrastructure and shortages of gas and conversion kits had limited its benefits to workers.

The NLC insisted that the government could no longer postpone measures to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

“The time is now. The appropriate time is now. Procrastination is no longer a policy choice; it is a direct injury on the survival of the Nigerian worker,” the Congress said.

Consequently, the labour centre called on the Federal Government to commence the minimum wage renegotiation process immediately by inviting nominations and inaugurating the tripartite committee before the expiration of its ultimatum.

It also demanded the implementation of tax relief measures agreed upon in 2023, immediate wage awards to cushion the rising cost of living, and a reduction in petrol prices to the level prevailing when the current minimum wage was signed into law in 2024.

Additionally, the NLC urged the government to implement the terms of settlement with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and address the demands of the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council (JPSNC).

The Congress warned that the government’s response, despite its promptness, failed to address the immediate economic realities confronting workers.

“The NLC remains resolute, organised, and uncompromising in the collective struggle for a fair and equitable Nigeria,” Ajaero said, urging the Federal Government to act expeditiously to resolve the outstanding issues.