The Nation Newspaper

Tag: new minimum wage

  • Minimum Wage: ‘Workers to have bumper harvest in December’

    Toba Agboola

     

    There are clear indications now that workers at the Federal level and Lagos State will begin collecting the N30,000 Minimum Wage by December this year.

    The Association of the Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) Tuesday in Abeokuta at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting confirmed that both the federal government and Lagos State workers will have a bumper salary in December.

    This is even as it has warned that it would move to states in January to shut down the erring ones who fail to conclude the consequential negotiation by the December deadline issued by the two labour centres.

    Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) last month after the completion of the consequential adjustment at the federal level have charged the states to commence their negotiations and ensure that they wrapped it up by December.

    The President of the union, Bobboi Bala Kaigama said the states that are yet to commence negotiations should take a clue from Kaduna state that has commenced payment even before the consequential adjustment was concluded at the federal level. He said, “At the states level, we know the game they want to play and we are ready for them.

    Read Also: Ihedioha directs Imo AG to plan release of child prisoners

    Labour will take joint action against those states. The law of Minimum Wage is explicit, unlike before, now defaulting states can be prosecuted. This time around they have no escape route.”

    The ASCSN President said Kaduna state government has played safe because it’s paying more than what was negotiated at the federal in spite that it commenced payment early.

    He however warned that by January, the union will start taking stock to get the defaulting states and take appropriate action against them.

    On the payment of the consequential adjustment at the federal and Lagos State, the Secretary General of the Association, Bashir Alade Lawal said the union has it on good authority that workers would be paid in December.

    He noted that the table which had delayed the payment finally came out last week Monday, but it was too late for the November salary. “By the time they issued circular, the porter has already been closed, but now it has been prepared and definitely by December the consequential adjustment will be paid,” he said.

    The Secretary General said the payment will also take care of all the arrears from April when it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said, “For the federal civil servants and the Lagos State workers, it is going to be a bumper salary and we are happy about that.” He maintained that the union would ensure that all the workers be it federal and the states enjoy the new wage.

    “The Secretariat is ready to support all the state council and we will move in by January to shut down the states that fail to commence payment in December,” he affirmed.

    Meanwhile the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun represented at the meeting by his Deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele promised that the consequential adjustment negotiation at the state would be seamless.

    The state has explained that the delay in the negotiation at the state was due to the Treasury meeting which has just been concluded.

    According to the state, the Treasury meeting was important to enable the state knows the state of its finances before moving to the negotiation table.

  • Ngige to states: do not delay minimum wage payment

    Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige yesterday urged state governments and other employers of labour to start the implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage.

    He said the immediate implementation of new salary regime remained the only way to avoid a huge backlog of arrears that will likely create labour unrest for them.

    Ngige also advised the states to avoid the mistake they made in 2011 when they carried out percentage increase across board for workers, thereby placing them in a position of not being able to pay wages, adding that “any state that does percentage increase will put itself in a disadvantaged position as it will not be able to pay.”

    The minister told reporters that no state governor can refuse to implement the minimum wage being a national law, adding that the earlier they start the implementation, the better it will be for them.

    Ngige said with the signing of the new minimum wage bill into law by the President, the new wage now takes effect from April 18, 2019, adding that “any employer of labour that has not commenced the payment is already owing workers arrears of the new wage.”

    The former senator said: “The minimum wage was one of the products of the technical committee that worked on the palliatives as a result of the increase in pump price of PMS.

    Read Also: Minimum wage: NYSC allowance rises to N30,000

    “We were the anchor ministry and I led the government delegation comprising about seven ministers, the National Salaries and Wages Commission and the state government.”

    Reminded that state governors were complaining of inability to pay the new wage, Ngige said: “it is a national law and no governor can say he will not pay. Issue of national minimum wage is item 34 on the exclusive legislative list in the third schedule of the Nigerian constitution. Issue of labour is also there and not on the concurrent list. If it is on the concurrent list, then they can make their own state Assembly laws on that.

    “Any state government that has not started implementation of the new minimum wage is now owing workers’ especially if they have not started paying N30, 000. They are owing workers effective from 18th of April, the new minimum wage.

    “We are now in a committee working out a new template with which we will adjust the consequential adjustment upstairs for those already earning above N30, 000.”

  • Minimum wage: FG to inaugurate implementation committee Tuesday

    The Federal Government will on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurate the N30,000 new national minimum wage implementation committee, almost one month after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the bill into law.

    Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment said this while fielding questions on television concerning the time for payment of the new wage.

    Ngige did not state when government would start payment but said that arrears would be paid anytime implementation of the new wage began.

    He said there were still processes and procedures the new wage would undergo before the commencement of its implementation, even though it had been passed and signed into law.

    ”It is a whole process and the salary and wages commission will do its job before implementation,” the minister said.

    He said that the committee was made of seven ministers with the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita as Chairman.

    The minister said that those at the lowest cadre of employment whether in the public or private sector would earn N30,000 as the law provided.

    Read Also: Minimum wage battle is not over, says Wabba

    He said however for the cadre of workers already earning above the minimum wage, there would be consequential adjustment from the top.

    Ngige added that the relevant agency of government would soon issue a circular on the expected adjustments.

    Meanwhile, Mr Ayuba Wabba, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has expressed worry over the delay in the commencement of the implementation of the new wage.

  • ‘Anambra reiterates promise to pay N30,000 new minimum wage’

    The Anambra Head of Service, Mr Harry Udu, has reaffirmed the state government’s commitment toward implementing the new minimum wage as promised.

    The head of service made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Friday.

    He said the implementation would help motivate civil servants in the state to performing their duties optimally.

    Udu said Gov Willie Obiano had given matching orders to the Internally Generated Revenue agencies to redouble efforts in raising extra N1.4 billion that would ensure that the promise was kept.

    He said that Obiano’s pledge in his address to civil servants during the electioneering period to be the first to pay the wage once approved was not a political statement.

    Read also: New Minimum Wage Bill passes first reading in Senate

    “Gov Obiano remains irrevocably committed to fulfilling the promise of being the first governor that will pay the new wage once approved,” he said.

    Udu said that the governor had read the riot act to all its revenue agencies and pointed out the importance of maintaining its standards.

    “Government is focused on making arrangements to move to the new minimum wage without having challenges in the legacy of the governor.

    “Efforts are being made to get additional revenue to sustain the practice of workers receiving salaries on 25th of every month.” Udu said

    The head of service said the directive on the financial implication of the N30,000 minimum wage and other options being considered were being handled, so as to have a seamless transition.

    Udu said that since the Nigerian Senate had approved the wage increase, efforts are on top gear to ensure that the promise was actualised, once President Muhammadu Buhari gave assent to the bill.

    He said that the Salary and Wages Commission would issue a circular on its implementation indication chart, the grading.

    “Once all those processes were done, then the promise will be achieved after due calculations,” he said.

    The head of service disclosed that the government also had a program for the housing scheme for its civil servants adding that the area had been mapped out.

    He urged civil servants in the state to be more committed to their work and ensured that they discharged their duties professionally at all times so as to assist in making the state great. (NAN)

  • Minimum wage: NLC wants quick implementation, commends Senate

    The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) wants the government to commence the implementation of the new national minimum wage before the 2019 workers day celebration and give workers good course to celebrate this year.

    NLC also commended the Senate for passing the bill into law, following the footstep of the House of Representatives which had earlier passed the N30, 000 as new national minimum wage.

    The Nigeria Governors Forum had earlier said that they will not be able to pay N30,000 as minimum wage, offering to pay N24,000 instead while President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded N27,000 to the National Assembly as minimum wage.

    Both chambers of the National Assembly set up special adhoc committees headed by the Deputy Senate President for the Senate Committee and Deputy Speaker for the House of Representatives committee to conduct public hearing and submit reports for consideration.

    However, the House of Representatives immediately passed the bill into law before embarking on break for the 2019 general election, while the Senate passed the bill at its sitting on Tuesday.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Senate endorses N30, 000 national Minimum Wage

    Acting President of the NLC, Comrade Najeem Yasin said even though the bill has been passed by both chambers, the battle for the minimum wage was not yet over, saying workers will not rest until the bill is signed and implemented.

    He said; “We commend the senate for the quick passage. But it is not yet over because we want them to make sure that the process gets to the logical conclusion and for the quick implementation of that N30, 000. Nigerian workers are happy and commends them.

    “We stand by the N75, 000 punishment for employers who fail to implement the law which has been passed. We have been fighting for this N30, 000 for a long time and the governors have been opposed to it. But now, it has been passed. Nigerian workers are now looking forward to the signing of the bill into law.

    “We want them to start implementing it before the May Day celebration so that Nigerian workers can have good reasons to celebrate.”

  • UPDATED: Senate endorses N30, 000 national Minimum Wage

    The Senate on Monday passed the new national minimum wage Bill, which fixed the lowest salary of a worker in the country at N30, 000.

    The approval of N 30, 000 national minimum wage runs contrary to the N27, 000 recommended by the Federal Government in a Bill it sent to the National Assembly in January.

    The lawmakers also asked the Federal Government to initiate immediate review of the revenue sharing formula for the three tiers governments to ensure seamless implementation of the new minimum wage at the state and local government levels.

    Under the current revenue formula, the Federal Government receives 56 percent from the federation account including 4% ecology fund, states 24 percent while 20 percent go to the 774 local government councils.

    Apart from passing the Bill, the upper chamber also asked the Federal Government to prepare and forward to the National Assembly, a supplementary appropriation Bill to cover the approved N30, 000 new minimum wage.

    The House of Representatives had already passed the Bill shortly before the National Assembly proceeded on its general elections break in January.

    Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, who chaired the ad-hoc committee on national minimum wage, presented the report of his committee for consideration and adoption by the chamber.

    The Edo North Senator in his presentation of the 18 -Clause report, noted the N5, 000 fine stipulated in clause 3(1) of the Bill against any employer who failed to keep records of employees was increased to N75, 000 to ensure compliance.

    He prayed the Senate to approve the N30, 000 minimum wage as recommended by his committee.

    Although no Senator opposed the N30, 000 minimum wage, contributors to the report insisted that the subsisting revenue sharing formula should be reviewed to enable states and local governments to pay

    The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, in her contribution noted that without the review of the revenue sharing formula, states and local governments would lack the required financial capacity to pay the new wage.

    She said: “The essence of formulating any policy or passing a bill is to see to its implementation for the required results.

    “If revenue sharing formula is not reviewed in a way that will make the states and local governments to get more funds from the monthly allocations, implementing the new minimum wage may be difficult for them.”

    Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East) who also contributed agreed that the review of the subsisting revenue sharing formula was long overdue.

    He however insisted even without the review, no state could claim lack of financial capacity to pay the N30, 000 new minimum wage going by the amount of money state governors spent to allegedly buy votes during the just concluded elections.

    Gemade said: “Going by the volume of money and enormous amount spent by various state governors to buy votes in the just concluded general elections, no state can claim not to have the financial wherewithal to pay the new minimum wage.

    “If a state through its governor, has billions of Naira to buy votes, the same state should through the governor, pay the new N30, 000 minimum wage to her workers”.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in his remarks noted that with the passage of the new minimum wage, industrial harmony and improved national productivity will be achieved in the country.

  • ’Labour won’t accept retrenchment over new minimum wage’

    Last week’s election of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  during its 12th Quadrennial Delegates Conference would go into the annals of the congress as the best organised since its constitution in 1978.

    Workers could still recall the ugly incident that characterised the same election four years ago at the labour house.

    One lesson from the 12th National Delegates’ Conference is the smooth process and the fact that it was rancour-free unlike what happened in 2015.

    The crisis that characterised the 2015 delegates’ conference ended in creating factions in the congress. It  forced two unions, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas of Nigeria (NUPENG), out of the NLC to form the United Labour Congress (ULC).

    The re-election of Comrade Ayuba Wabba amid fanfare has  renewed the hope of workers.

    Wabba was also recently elected as the President of the World’s International Trade Union Congress (ITUC). He will lead the 16-member National Administrative Council (NAC) in the next four years.

    Others elected NAC members included three Deputy Presidents. They were Amaechi Asugwuni, Muhammad Nadir Idris and Najim Usman Yasin. Ibrahim Khaleel was elected National Treasurer.

    Four officials were elected Vice Presidents. They were Abdrafiu  Adeniji, Peters Adeyemi, Lawrence Amaechi and Oyelakan Lateef.

    Others were Marwan Adamu,  the National Financial Secretary and Adewale Adeyanju, National Trustee. Comrade Wabba.

    In all, 15 officials were returned unopposed.

    The conference with the theme: ”Towards a decade of activism for the promotion of labour unity; national rebirth and development.”

    In his acceptance sppech, Wabba vowed to confront the challenges faced by the workers. He said: “We will ensure that the challenges workers face are confronted headlong. Workers are treated as slaves while those that don’t even work hard take higher pay.”

    He said the new leadership must build workers power to change the equation and confront the political power to ensure that workers live decent lives.

    On the new minimum wage, he pointed out that the organised Labour would not allow governments at any level or private employers to hide under the increment to sack.

    Read also: Union urges members to vote out anti-workers governors, politicians

    The NLC President insisted that the struggle would be to ensure the implementation of the new minimum wage by federal and state governments.

    He, therefore, charged all the affiliates and the state councils as well as the partners to be ready for the battle ahead for the implementation of the minimum wage without retrenchment.

    As a leader, he pointed out that his executive would not take unilateral decisions on issues affecting the workers, but assured that the Labour movement would continue to take instructions from the rank and files.

    He said his leadership would always speak the truth to the government to protect the interests of the working class.

    “The new leadership of NLC will respect the will of members and consolidate on what we are doing. We will continue to conform to the tradition of the union and speak the truth to those in power. The daily challenges of workers at work places will be confronted. We have been able to work assiduously in the past four years and we will move forward to build workers poser. I assure our members of our commitment and dedication to the resolutions of the conference.”

    NLC’s General Secretary Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson said the congress had learnt from its past mistakes.

    Asked why all the positions were unopposed and if it was a predetermined arrangement to forestall a repeat of the 2015 crisis, Ozo-Eson said there was no election because there were no constestable positions.

    He said since there were no positions, the candidates were presented by the Credentials Committee at the conference by acclamation; through a motion moved because “there are no positions that is contested”.

    “Every organisation learns from its own mistakes. What happened in the last one, perhaps, influences how people took their positions, but that is a process of politicking and a process of preference.

    “For us, ours is to take what we see in nominations and we processed them forward. We have received the nominations, and as we published it, it is one slate. So, that is what we have seen this time. It is being done before, it has happened before, so it won’t be the first time,” he added.

  • New Minimum Wage Bill passes first reading in Senate

    The Bill, which was transmitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, by President Muhammadu Buhari prescribed 27,000 as the minimum wage.

    Read Also: Buhari sends new National Minimum Wage Bill to NASS

    Seconding reading of the Bill is ongoing as the upper chamber suspended its rules to give the Bill accelerated consideration

  • Breaking: Buhari sends new National Minimum Wage Bill to NASS

    President Muhammadu Buhari has on Thursday, transmitted the proposed new National Minimum Wage bill of N27,000 to the National Assembly.

    Read Also: Buhari ’s campaign train moves to South East

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, confirmed this on Thursday when he read Buhari’s letter.

    The National Council of State had approved the new minimum wage and mandated the President to forward executive bill to the National Assembly.

  • CNPP appeals to NLC to accept new minimum wage

    The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties ( CNPP ), Edo chapter, has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) to accept the N27, 000 new minimum wage endorsed by the National Council of State.

    The Chairman of CNPP, Mr Roy Oribhabor, made the appeal on Wednesday in Benin.

    He urged the NLC to accept the new minimum wage as matter of love and patriotism, in spite of the economic hardship being experienced in the country.

    He emphasised that the appeal became necessary after a critical evaluation of the N27, 000 minimum wage in Nigeria as approved by the NCS.

    “In as much as we know things are hard, we solicit for understanding because of the reality on ground today from some states.

    “We commend the leaders of the NLC for the foresight and determination to provide acceptable wages for Nigerian workers,” Oribhabor said in a statement.

    Read Also: NLC rejects N27, 000 minimum wage

    He also called on state governors to be more prudent with management and allocations of resources for the betterment of the people.

    “Therefore, transparency and accountability should be their primary concern.

    “Finally, we appeal to labour unions not to allow politicians to use them to advance their agenda to the detriment of the Nigerian State.

    “This is the best time to show understanding and accept the minimum wage because the process of salaries increment is never an ending negotiation, hence our appeal,” he said.