Tag: minimum wage

Oyo Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that his administration will commence the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage once the issue of consequential salary adjustment has been addressed.

He also announced the extension of the N25,000 wage award to workers and N15,000 wage award to pensioners by another three months.

The extension, the Governor noted, is to cover the period that the negotiation on the consequential adjustment will last, noting that the payment of the wage award will stop upon the conclusion of negotiations to effectively implement the minimum wage.

Makinde made these announcements on Saturday during the 2024 World Teachers’ Day celebration with the theme: “Valuing Teachers’ Voices Towards a New Social Contract for Education,” held at the NUT (ENDWELL) Model College Sports Complex, Owode Housing Estate, Apata, Ibadan.

Makinde said: “On the minimum wage, negotiation will start next week and we will pay the N70,000 minimum wage. But the consequential adjustment is about to be negotiated. The NLC and our team will sit down to discuss it.”

Makinde, who lauded teachers in the state for their massive support to him during the last election and immeasurable contributions to building the state, said his government will continue to prioritise the welfare of teachers and all civil servants in the state so that they would continue to be productive.

Noting that education remains one of the major pillars of his government, the Governor promised to fix more education infrastructure so that teachers can continue to impart knowledge in a conducive environment in order to guarantee a better future for the state.

“I want to say kudos to the teachers. Everywhere I went during the campaign, you mobilised yourselves and supported us wholeheartedly. So, I appreciate you and I say thank you.

“We are going through challenges as a country. We have issues of minimum wage and fuel price but I want to appeal to you to say that tough times don’t last but tough people do. We will outlast these challenges we are faced with.

“Any country that wants to develop must educate her people. So, for us in Oyo State, we will continue to specially look after our teachers, because they are dealing with our future.

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“You teachers, you have to be put where you belong. So, I thank you for your support and dedication to duty. We still have a long way to go.

“When we came in, with the UBEC grant and matching fund we used to give them, we were spending about N3 billion every year on infrastructure. So, for the past five years, we have done about N15 billion but it is not enough – just like a drop in the ocean.

“The gap we have to fill, when we did the analysis a few years ago, it was around N40 billion but I can tell you now that it will be close to N70 billion.

“If we continue to spend N3 billion yearly for the next 15 years, we still won’t cover the gap on ground. So apart from SUBEB, we will have education intervention funds of a minimum of N10 billion every year towards bridging the infrastructural gap in education.

“And of course we will employ more teachers and we will put them in a conducive learning environment that would guarantee better outcomes for our students.”

The Governor, while commissioning a block of 10 classrooms built by the NUT at the NUT Model School, maintained that his administration’s commitment to fixing inner roads remained on course and that it will work on inner roads within the Owode Housing Estate.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) has decried the non-implementation of the new minimum wage signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

The polytechnic workers said the delay in the payment of the new wage was causing a lot of financial constraints and economic hardship for Nigerian workers.

SSANIP said this in a communiqué issued at the end of its 73rd General Executive Council (GEC) meeting in Abuja.

The communiqué, which was signed by the National President of SSANIP, Comrade Philip Adebanjo Ogunsipe, and the National Secretary, said: “Council in session observed with dismay the prolonged delay in the implementation of the New Minimum Wage since it’s been signed into law by the President of Nigeria.

“The unnecessary delay is causing a lot of financial constraint and economic hardship on Nigerian workers.”

SSANIP appealed to the Federal Government to fast-track the process so that workers would not be reduced to beggars, as the current take-home was “nothing good to write home about.”

On the removal of fuel subsidies, SSANIP said. “The Council condemned in totality the arbitrary increase in the price of petroleum products, thereby further impoverishing and exacerbating the pains of Nigerians.

“The Council is even more worried that the humongous $20 billion spent over time for the turn-around maintenance of the refineries has yielded no result; rather, it has gone down the drains, resulting in untold excruciating pains being felt by Nigerians.

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“Council therefore beckoned on all concerned to rejig the architecture for a total turn-around maintenance of the Nigeria refineries for the betterment of Nigerian citizens.

“Equally, it urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to reverse the price of the Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) to its original price to bring succour and relief to the suffering masses.”

SSANIP also expressed worry that the Nigerian currency was rated as one of the ten worst-performing currencies in the world.

This, according to SSANIP, was largely due to the sudden removal of fuel subsidy, the floating of the naira, and other harsh economic policies of the present administration.

The communique added: “No matter how good the policies are or may look like, Council felt it was ill-timed, as this has created untold hardship on Nigerians.

“It therefore called on the government to review all these draconian policies to reduce the rate of poverty and prevailing economic woes as it’s presently been experienced in the country.”

The union expressed concern over the attitude of some State Polytechnics and similar institutions in the appointment of their Principal Officers in clear violation of the approved templates for the appointment of such officers by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

SSANIP therefore called on the NBTE to sanction such erring institutions in accordance with its recent circular on the matter to curtail this ugly development.

On the delay in accessing retirement benefits by retirees, SSANIP frowned at the suffering and unbearable pains being experienced by the officers who had retired after they had meritoriously served their fatherland.

“The most unfortunate aspect of this painful scenario was that these people, after working assiduously, committedly, and after attaining the age of 65, are now being reduced to beggars pleading for alms and support from dependents and relatives.

“More worrisome is the fact that those who retired for over a year now have not been able to access their retirement benefits as a result of non-disbursement of the accrued rights due to them by the Federal Government.

“It enjoined the government to release the accrued rights to the PFAs without further delay to alleviate the sufferings of these elderly citizens and bring succour to their various families,” the communiqué added.

Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria (EAPEAN) has urged National Assembly to clarify the new national minimum wage debacle to avoid ambiguity.

It said this is to avoid pitfalls because what is paid in Nigeria is salary, and not wages.

President, Femi Ogunlowo, spoke at the body’s 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM).

He said: “Wage is hourly or daily pay. For clarity, N70,000 is minimum monthly salary, not wage, otherwise we will be in trouble because employers may pay N70,000 hourly. We should be clear on this.

“We need to know too if it is gross or net. This has to be clear, otherwise there will be confusion. We are asking questions so those in charge can draft the law appropriately.”

Ogunlowo noted that the body’s new status as a trade union makes it able to bargain and promote decent work.

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“With this status, we can advocate on behalf of employers to ensure the terms of employment are in line with the law, and conform with international best practice,” he added.

On efforts to eliminate casualisation, Ogunlowo said it was necessary to understand dynamics of recruitment which warrants an employer to hire temporary workers.

He added: “Casualisation is where there is no structure; we frown at this. However, there could be surges, a need to hire people for a three-week event. In this case, you will need personnel, so you employ them on a short term basis, for the event. This is different from casualisation.”

The Employers’ Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria (EAPEAN) has called on the National Assembly to clarify the ongoing national minimum wage issue to debacle to avoid ambiguity.

Dr. Femi Ogunlowo, President of EAPEAN, emphasised the importance of this clarification to avoid potential pitfalls, noting that what is currently paid in Nigeria is classified as salary, not wages.

He made the remarks during the association’s 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM).

He said: “We always like that there is no ambiguity in law. What we call wage in Nigeria is salary because wage is paid hourly or daily. So, for clarity, the proposed N70,000 is the minimum monthly salary and not a wage, otherwise, we will be in trouble because employers will have to pay N70,000 hourly. So it is expedient to understand the clear distinction.

“We also need to know if it is gross or net. All of these have to be explicit, otherwise it will bring confusion. We are thus asking these questions so that those in charge can draft the law appropriately.”

Ogunlowo also noted that the association’s new status as a trade union confers on it the ability to bargain and promote decent work for Nigerians.

“With this status, we can advocate on behalf of all employers to ensure that the terms of employment are in line with the law, and conform to international best practice,” he added.

In efforts to eliminate casualisation in the workplace, Ogunlowo said it was necessary to understand the dynamics of recruitment which could warrant an employer to hire temporary workers.

He added: “Casualisation is where there is no structure to employment; we frown at this and our members do not participate or engage in casualisation. However, there could be surges in employment needs. For instance, there could be a need to hire people for a three-week event. In this case, you will need security personnel, waiters, and the like, so you employ them on a short-term basis, for the period of the event. This is different from casualisation.”

Since the EAPEAN’s 12th AGM in 2023, 29 new members have joined the association.

“We will keep fighting to get more people into the fold because the more members we have in our fold, the more the assurances of decent work for Nigerians because those who subscribe to our association are those who want to give decent work to Nigerians,” Ogunlowo added.

Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ismaila Abubakar, urged recruitment agencies to ensure employers pay the N70,000 minimum wage as any deviation from this will not be tolerated.

Abubakar, represented by the Director of Employment and Wages, John Nyamali, said: “The minimum wage is now a law, and so it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay any of its workers less than N70,000. It also behoves EAPEAN to ensure its members do not accept any labour contract that offers remuneration below the national minimum wage to any category of employees. You should ensure that your members observe the highest principles of ethics, integrity, and professionalism.

“The Ministry of Labour and Employment on its part will continue to support your organisation to attain greater heights as long as your members are committed to the ethos of the profession. The ministry is not unmindful of the challenges faced by your members involved in international recruitment, ranging from competition by unlicensed PEAS, and difficulty in securing visas from embassies, to securing NAPTIP clearance even after obtaining a Recruiter’s License from us.

“The ministry is bothered by these unpleasant developments which are at variant with the Executive Order on the Ease of Doing Business. Rest assured that the ministry will continue to work with the appropriate government agencies to address these problems.”

• FG inaugurates 16-member committee on consequential adjustment

The wait for the template on the new national minimum wage will soon be over, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeruka Onyejeocha announced yesterday.

Onyejeocha spoke at a town hall engagement organised by her ministry in Abuja just as the Head of Service of the Federation,  Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, inaugurated a 16-member committee on consequential adjustments in salaries, to deliberate on issues arising from provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2024.

The various state governments are attributing the delay in their implementation of the new minimum wage to the non-release of the template by the National Salaries, Incomes & Wages Commission (NSIWC) since the signing of the new minimum wage bill by President Bola Tinubu in July.

“As we speak there’s a meeting on the government side this morning on the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment and by 2 pm, the tripartite are meeting with the Head of Service. Once they get what we are supposed to pay they will start paying,” Onyejeocha said.

 She said the federal government should not be blamed for the non-implementation of the new minimum wage by the states.

According to her, the state ought to have  constituted  their own committees to work out the figures “because it doesn’t take rocket science to have figures of what we should really give.”

 She spoke of the determination of the federal government to tackle “headlong all socio-economic ills that have troubled our nation and we shall by the grace of God Almighty evolve solutions to emerging threats to our well-being as a nation.”

She added: “Recognising this, the Federal Government has sought, and continues to seek to collaborate with policymakers, in this case both employers and workers representatives who make development possible by generating and sustaining the momentum so that we together we can attain enviable heights of progress in our beloved country.”

 The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, in a message noted that the decision to remove the fuel subsidy was necessary for the nation’s growth and development.

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 Cardoso, who was represented by the Head Pensions, CBN, Omolola Adegbenga urged Nigerians to show more understanding with the current administration, bearing in mind that things would get better in the near future.

 He said: “These decisions are important for the progress of our country. The decision by President Tinubu has had severe effect, and challenges but at the end of every storm there shall be calm and I believe there will be calm for Nigerians. It’s not a coincidence that the theme of Mr. President’s administration is Renewed Hope.

 “CBN is committed to supporting President Tinubu in achieving the 8-point agenda.

 “Every activity of CBN is committed to Nigeria’s growth. While we may be facing challenges, I believe with every organ contributing its quota, we shall be able to achieve those goals.”

FG inaugurates 16-member committee on consequential adjustment

Inaugurating the committee on consequential adjustments in salaries, Mrs Walson-Jack said it was made up of eight members each from the Federal Government and Trade Union sides.

It is headed by the HoS herself.

Other members are the Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Permanent Secretary, and General Service Office (OSGF), as members.

Others are Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office (OHCSF), Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Secretary, National Assembly Service Commission, Secretary, and Federal Judicial Service Commission.

On the Labour Side, the committee has Comrade Benjamin Anthony – National Chairman – JNPSNC (TUS) and National Vice President NLC, Comrade Oluwole Adeleye Sunday, National President, NCSU and National Vice President NLC,

Comrade Roselyn Uba Anarah  National President – NUPSRAW.

The others are Comrade Kabiru  Minjibir – National President – MHWUN, Comrade Michael Nnachi – National President, NAMMN, Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga – (Ag) National Secretary – JNPSNC.

 The HOS listed the terms of reference of the committee to include; to negotiate and agree on the consequential adjustments in salaries arising from the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2024.

The committee would also develop the template for ease of implementation of the approved N70,000 minimum wage.

“It is crucial for us to recognise the significance of this assignment, and with a focus on maintaining industrial peace and harmony.

“I am confident that we will execute it in the best interests of the public service and the nation as a whole,” she said.