By Innocent Obasi
The federal government of Nigeria has said it will commence the process of reviewing the national minimum wage on January 23, 2023.
The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) made this disclosure in a recent statement signed by Emmanuel Njoku, the commission head of public affairs.
Njoku stated that the commission held a series of meetings and training in preparation for a nationwide monitoring of the Minimum Wage Act 2019 as part of the process to review the minimum wage, which would be due in 2024.
He said that the monitoring, which was scheduled to start on January 23, would determine the level of compliance of both public and private employers and organizations.
The spokesperson said that the monitoring team will, among other things, inquire about whether employers maintain proper records of employee wages and conditions of service of employees.
“The exercise will enlighten the public and private employers and organisations on the economic benefits in adhering to the payment of the National Minimum Wage.
“It will also help in obtaining baseline data on remuneration policies and practices of private sector organisations in order 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,” Njoku said.
According to him, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and other important stakeholders would make up the monitoring team for the exercise.
He highlighted that the other stakeholders include the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office of the Federation, and Head of Service of the Federation.
The spokesperson urged the federal, state, and local government ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as government-owned enterprises, private sector establishments , and labour unions to cooperate with the monitoring officers.
