Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige,
has confirmed that juniors workers employed by the Federal Government, have
started receiving the N30,000 minimum wage.
Ngige stated this while speaking
in Enugu over the weekend.
He disclosed that the payment to
levels 1 to 6 commenced last month.
The Minister’s claim was
corroborated by the National President of the Nigeria Civil Service Union
(NCSU) and a member of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council Mr.
Lawrence Amaechi.
“The major hurdle in the minimum
wage issue has been crossed. We have crossed the rubicon and the rubicon was
getting a new rate for the minimum wage. And the minimum wage is the lowest
remuneration paid as compensation to a worker for his services and this is for
the least paid worker in Nigeria.
“It is for those on lowest rung
of the payment ladder. And in the public service, it is for the workers on
Grade Level 1 Step 1. We moved it from N18, 000 as in the old Act to N30, 000.
To me, that was the major crossing of the rubicon.
“When you do that, there is what
is called consequential adjustment upstairs because you have by moving N18, 000
to N30, 000 crossed some salary grade levels and surpassed them.
“Therefore, you must get those
people that you have crossed and passed to a higher level than N30, 000, which
the lowest person now is earning. So, that is the history of the consequential
adjustment.
“And when you also do that for
the lower level, Grade Level 1 to Grade Level 6, the executive cadre, which
starts from Grade Level 7 to 17, you must also give them a consequential
movement, so that they will have a feel that their subordinates have moved up
to make them, because some people now in Level 6 now move into old Level 10
salary structure by the new minimum wage adjustment.
“So, you see now that this is
something you must do across board, consequentially. But, will the rates be the
same? No. From Grade Level 1, anything you are doing there is consequential and
must be done through negotiation or what we call in labour parlance, collective
bargaining.
“And once you do collective
bargaining and agree on something, it is what you call Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA). So, it is the collective bargaining that is now done for
consequential adjustment.
“Labour knows that,
inconsequential adjustments and even in collective bargaining, there are
cardinal principles guiding CBA and part of the principles guiding CBA is
ability of employers to pay, because there is no need for employer going to
agree on something he cannot pay and tomorrow, you are back to the negotiating
table. So, that is what is there.
“Unfortunately for government,
after the agreement was signed into law by the President on April 18, by May
29, the cabinet was dissolved. So, the committee of government, government side
negotiation was cancelled.
“The members were the Ministers
of Finance, Budget & National Planning; Labour, Head of Service of the
Federation and the Secretary to Federal Government (SGF).
“Everybody, except the Head of
Service, was dissolved by implications. So, permanent secretaries by
implications moved in to fill the gaps. And they were the people who started
negotiating with the Joint Negotiating Council of Labour, because we have what
is called Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), that is a public service council.
“This is because what we are now
talking about are workers in the public service, not workers in the private
sector. The private sector workers are supposed to do their own negotiation
with their employers. But, negotiation with government workers, because public
service is government, is what is now going on and which is stalemated.
“I have told you that we exited
as ministers and so, the former committee did not have the original colour as
it should be. Now that the cabinet has been formed, and even with the exit of
Head of Service, that government committee will be reconstituted and plans are
on for it to be reconstituted next week, so that we can then engage JNC, Joint
Negotiation Council of labour.
“We are not negotiating with the
labour union executive simplicita because this does not concern every worker.
It is workers in the public service, what you call public sector. So, there is
a difference and that difference is what I want the public to know. This is
one.
“The second leg is that, between
Grade Level 1 Step 1 to Grade Level 6, there is a partial agreement already and
the consequential adjustment has been worked out and the Federal Government has
paid the August salary based on the minimum wage. August salary has been paid.
That is the report the accountant-general gave us in a meeting.
“So, categorically, government
has started partial implementation of minimum wage.
“They have started applying the
minimum wage payment. So, they have paid in August. They are going to pay in
September with arrears spanning from April 18 to workers in this band that I
have told you. And as for workers from Grade Level 7 to 17, that their
negotiation with the committee of permanent secretaries, representing us, has
hit the rocks, we, as government are going to reconstitute the committee and
engage them.
“So, they should not be issuing
threat of strike because they know that government has not settled down. They
know it. They have not seen my face in any of their negotiation because I have
not gotten any briefing from those who were in the committee before us.
“They have to do us a handover of
where they stopped in the negotiation. That is how government functions and
then, we take it from there. They have not done a formal handover. We are going
to reconstitute a committee next week and the old committee will do a handover.
“I can assure you that we’ll
speedily negotiate with labour and the JNC. So, it is not good for them to say
government is dragging their feet. They know the problem. They know government
has not settled down. So, that is the situation,” Ngige said.
On his part, Amaechi added: “They
have gone to commence the payment. They told us that they have started the
payment and we have confirmed from our members that they were paid in August
and have promised to pay the arrears in September.
“But negotiations have stalled
for now and during our last meeting, we said that we were going to report to
our principals, which we have done. We are waiting for directives from our
members on what to do.
“But, we have started mobilising
against them and hope that they will see reason and improve on what they are
offering. The meeting had adjourned and there is no date yet for the next
meeting.”
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