Minimum wage: FG begins consultations as workers demand ₦500,000

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Federal Government has begun consultations ahead of fresh negotiations on the national minimum wage as public-sector workers press for a new wage structure that would raise the minimum monthly salary to N500,000 from 2027.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kamil Shoretire, disclosed on Tuesday that although the government had yet to fix a timetable for formal negotiations, background discussions on workers’ wages and welfare were already underway.

His disclosure comes amid a fresh demand by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, for the immediate constitution of a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage ahead of January 2027.

The council has proposed N500,000 monthly as the minimum salary for an officer on Grade Level 01, Step 1, under its proposed 2027 salary structure, alongside an immediate wage award and upward review of salaries and allowances to cushion rising living costs.

Speaking at a capacity-building workshop for labour correspondents in Abuja, Shoretire said details of government’s proposals would be made public when formal negotiations begin.

“We are yet to announce the timetable for that, but background discussions are already ongoing. When it’s time to get the press involved in what has been proposed and what is being negotiated, it will be revealed to you,” he said.

Shoretire said consultations were also ongoing over wages and allowances in critical sectors, including health and education, with the government seeking to conclude agreements early enough for agreed provisions to be accommodated in the 2027 budget.

“Various discussions with health, education and other sectors that have lots of issues in terms of wages and allowances are ongoing and they are being fast-tracked so that the ones that are agreed will reflect in next year’s budget,” he said.

The current N70,000 national minimum wage was approved in 2024 following negotiations between the Federal Government, organised labour and employers.

However, workers have intensified demands for another review, arguing that rising costs of transportation, food, housing and other necessities have substantially eroded the purchasing power of the current wage.

In its latest intervention, the JNPSNC urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately establish the committee for the 2027 minimum wage negotiations, saying an early start was necessary to prevent delays in implementation.

It also demanded an immediate wage award covering federal, state and local government workers as an interim intervention pending the conclusion of the new minimum wage negotiations.

Shoretire also disclosed that the Federal Government had responded to a complaint lodged against it by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

According to him, Nigeria met the September 1 deadline given by the ILO to respond to outstanding issues arising from the complaint.

“Let me start with the ILO. We have met the deadline. We have responded to the request from ILO. I was there when a complaint was filed by the NLC against Nigerian government at the ILO on some of the labour issues that are yet to be resolved in the country.

“We responded at the ILO, but we also got that certain areas were not addressed or were pending. So, those ones were the ones that we got a deadline on September 1, and we have responded accordingly,” he said.

The NLC had petitioned the ILO during the International Labour Conference in Geneva, alleging violations of workers’ rights under the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949, otherwise known as Convention No. 98.

The labour centre alleged persistent violations of workers’ rights, including threats, assault, intimidation and victimisation of trade union leaders, and asked the ILO Committee to find Nigeria in breach of Articles 1, 2 and 4 of the convention.

Shoretire said it was within the rights of workers’ organisations to approach the ILO where they believed domestic labour disputes had not been adequately addressed.

On the wage award, he said the arrangement remained in place, stressing that government had not issued any directive stopping it.

He also disclosed that additional incentives for workers and other Nigerians would be announced in the coming weeks but did not provide details.

Shoretire said the government remained committed to improving workers’ welfare and resolving outstanding industrial relations issues through collective bargaining.

He urged labour correspondents to ensure accuracy, fairness and objectivity in reporting industrial disputes, warning that inaccurate or sensational reports could aggravate tensions and undermine reconciliation.

The workshop, organised by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, also examined emerging workplace issues, including artificial intelligence, the gig and platform economy, social security, labour migration, occupational safety, skills development and the future of work.

Head of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Annah Daniel, said the training was intended to strengthen collaboration between the ministry and journalists covering the labour sector.