FG Releases Categories Of Workers To Benefit From Minimum Wage, Also Speaks On Corps Members, Pensioners
The Federal Government has defended its decision that the payment of the new minimum wage will start from July 2024.
The Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, Ekpo Nta, in a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, said that was when the President approved the bill after the National Assembly passed it.
However, this contradicts an earlier statement by the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, that the payment would start on May 1, 2024.
It, therefore, means that the government would only pay arrears of two months only if it begins payment by the end of October.
This was as it announced the approval of the revision of the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure and other salary structures.
Last week, the Committee on Consequential Adjustments in Salaries for civil servants met on Friday, as regards the new minimum wage template and agreed that the effective date for implementation of the new minimum wage be set at July 29, 2024.
The committee also recommended that the wage award which was discontinued by the government should also be paid up till July 28, 2024.
The committee headed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, pointed out that the government took note of the economic situation in the country before it took its decisions.
Reacting to the development in a chat with journalists, the Head of Information of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Benson Upah, questioned Government’s stand on the matter, saying that it is unacceptable to Labour.
Also reacting, the National Vice President of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Timmy Etim, criticised the government’s move.
He said since the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, had told workers on May Day that the new minimum wage would take effect in May, it was unfair for the government to renege on its promise.
However, giving reasons for the change at the press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the NSIWC chairman said, “The President has approved the revision of the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure with effect from July 29, 2024.
“The commission wishes to clarify that the effective date for the commencement of the National Minimum Wage is the 29th of July, 2024, as that was the day Mr President assented to the act after the bill was forwarded to him by the National Assembly.”
He added that any federal public service, whether self-funded or treasury funded that had not received a circular to this effect, specifically from the NSIWC, should contact it for further directives.
According to the report, “This is to avoid an uncoordinated implementation which tends to destroy the existing salary relativities in the federal public service.”
He said that NSIWC would issue further directives on how pensioners, NYSC members and interns would benefit from the implementation.
The Chairman listed other revised templates to include Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure, Consolidated Universities Academic Salary Structure and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure II.
He said others were: The Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure, Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure and Consolidated Medical Salary Structure.
The report named others to include: Consolidated Health Salary Structure, Consolidated Para-Military Salary Structure and Consolidated Police Salary Structure.
The rest were: Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure.
“This is consequent to the enactment of the NSIWC Amendment Act 2024 and the Memorandum of Understanding reached by the committee on consequential adjustments in salaries arising from the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024.
”Between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Trade Union sides of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council Sept. 20,” the report concluded
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