**Minister of Employment Instructed to Repeal Minimum Wage Adjustment to 14,500 Congolese Francs**
In a surprising turn of events, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka has issued a letter dated January 10, 2025, instructing the Minister of Employment and Labor, Ephraim Akwakwa, to repeal his decree from January 2, 2025, which adjusted the minimum interprofessional guaranteed wage (SMIG) to 14,500 Congolese francs, six years after it was set at 7,075 FC. The head of the national executive justifies her decision citing a procedural error and the material incompetence of the decree’s author, who failed to follow the required procedure.
**Prime Minister’s Directive**
“I note that the said decree did not follow the necessary procedure in this matter. Therefore, I instruct you to repeal it due to procedural error and material incompetence of the author,” she stated in her letter, received by ACTUALITE.CD. She added, “However, considering the urgency of this issue, which aligns with the President’s vision and the government’s action plan, particularly in its pillar L, specifically regarding protecting the purchasing power of the population, I ask you to submit to me, as soon as possible, the necessary elements for issuing a decree on the SMIG, this time involving all stakeholders, including the National Labor Council, for prior consultation.”
The controversial decree, announced on the national channel RTNC, states that the SMIG, adjusted to 14,500 FC, the lowest in Africa, should take effect starting February’s payroll.
**Minister’s Decision and Background**
It is worth noting that Minister Ephraim Akwakwa’s decision follows the final report of a dialogue he organized in October 2024 with professional organizations of employers and workers. This dialogue aimed to explore the possibilities of adjusting the SMIG, which had remained at the equivalent of 5 USD per day since 2018. The Minister presented the conclusions of these discussions at the 24th Council of Ministers meeting in November 2024.
As the nation awaits further developments on this crucial issue, the implications of this directive reverberate across various sectors, affecting the livelihoods of countless workers and businesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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