The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has officially demanded a new national minimum wage of N794,000 for workers in the South West geopolitical zone.
The chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the NLC (Funmi Sessi) made the amount public during her presentation at the ongoing public hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.
According to Sessi, the demand was a collective decision made by all members of the union within the South West, reflecting the consensus on the need for a substantial increase in the minimum wage to meet the economic realities faced by workers in the region.
The demand for the review is based on the spiraling the cost of living which has pushed many workers into financial hardship.
The ongoing public hearing, which is part of the process initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, aims to review and set a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
On January 30, 2024, Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on behalf of President Tinubu, inaugurated a 37-member panel at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.
This panel, comprising representatives from the federal and state governments, the private sector, and labour unions, is tasked with the responsibility of recommending a new national minimum wage.