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Tag: Minimum wage

  • Gov. Wike approves payment of minimum wage to workers in Rivers

    Gov. Wike approves payment of minimum wage to workers in Rivers

    Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Thursday approved the payment of a monthly minimum wage of N30,000 to workers in the state’s Public Service.

    The approval was contained in a Special Announcement by Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications

    It stated: “His Excellency, Nyesom Wike, has graciously approved the payment of the minimum wage of N30,000 monthly salary for employees of the Rivers State Public Service with the consequential salary adjustments as approved by the Federal Government.” (NAN)

  • Yobe Govt. constitutes 11-man committee on minimum wage

    Yobe Govt. constitutes 11-man committee on minimum wage

    Yobe government has constituted an 11-man committee for the implementation of the minimum wage in the state.

    Alhaji Muhammad Nura, acting Head of Service, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Damaturu.

    According to the statement, the committee had the Acting Head of Service as Chairman, while other members include six permanent secretaries and four labour leaders.

    The permanent secretaries are that of ministries of finance, Budget and Planning, Administration and General Services, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs with Permanent Secretary Establishment to serve as secretary.

    Other members include state Chairmen of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Chairman Joint Public Service Negotiation Council and the state Secretary NLC.

    Meanwhile, civil servants in the state have expressed delight with the constitution of the committee, which gives hope for implementation of the new minimum wage.

    Sadiq Manu, a civil servant, said “this gives us hope that the Gov. Mai Mala Buni administration is committed to implementing the new minimum wage.”

    Musa Usman, another civil servant, expressed hope and urged the committee not waste time on negotiation.

    Hadiza Ibrahim, a local government staff, urged traders to avoid unnecessary and arbitrary increase in prices of commodities.

    “Government should evolve a price monitoring scheme to check the excesses of traders, who may take advantage of the new minimum wage to increase prices of goods and services.

    “If this is not checked, it would lead to inflation and ridicule the minimum wages, while workers would be at the receiving end,” she said.(NAN)

  • Kogi, labour set up committee on new minimum wage implementation

    Kogi, labour set up committee on new minimum wage implementation

    Kogi State government and the organised labour have set up a 14-man committee to negotiate the implementation of the new minimum wage to workers in the state.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr Mohammed Onogwu disclosed this in a statement in Lokoja on Monday.

    Onogwu said the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Folashade Ayoade is the Chairman of the committee which also has the state Head of Service, Mrs Deborah Ogunmola as member.

    Other members of the committee from the side of the government are Hon. Ibrahim Sani (SAN), Special Adviser to the governor on Legal Matters and Hon. Asiru Idris, Special Adviser to the Governor on Finance, Budget and Economic Planning

    Also to serve on the committee are Mr Abubakar Ohere, Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs , Hon. Momoh Jibrin, State Accountant-General and
    Hon. Okala Yakubu, State Auditor-General .

    Hon. Usman Ododo, Local Government Auditor-General is also a member of the committee.

    Members of the committee from the labour side are Mr Akeji Yusuf, Chairman Joint Negotiating Council, Mr Tade Adeyemi, President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employee and Mr I.A Abubakar, from the Joint Negotiating Council.

    The rest are Mr Thomas Ayodele, Nigeria Union of Teachers and Mr Meliga Obaka, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria.

    Mr Kingsley Fanwo, the Special Adviser to the governor on Information and Communication Strategy will serve as the Secretary of the committee to be inaugurated on Jan. 14. (NAN)

  • Katsina govt, labour agree to commence minimum wage implementation January

    Katsina govt, labour agree to commence minimum wage implementation January

    The Katsina State Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have reached agreement on the payment of the new national minimum wage with its salary consequential adjustments to public workers in the state.

    Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa, Secretary to the state government and state NLC Chairman, Mr Hussaini Hamisu, reached the agreement according to the statement the two of them signed in Katsina.

    Both officials said that the implementation of the new minimum wage and consequential adjustments of salaries would commence  January, 2020.

    According to them, the increase represents the following percentages for Harmonised Public Service Salary (HAPSS) structure: GL 01: 60 per cent, GL 02: 60.98 per cent, GL 03: 62. Per cent and GL 04: 60.59, per cent.

    Others are: GL 05: 60.61 per cent, GL 06: 32.63 per cent, GL 07: 13.2 per cent GL 08-9: 10 per cent, GL 10-14: 8 per cent and GL 15-17: 4 per cent.

    They also agreed to form a committee involving labour to assist the state government in rejuvenating revenue drive to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    According to them, NLC will partner with the state government to improve efficiency and productivity in the local government general administration.

    The labour pledged to inculcate the culture of hard work, honesty and productivity in the state, local governments and the local education authority workers.(NAN)

  • Civil servants throng ATMs, commend FG over payment of new minimum wage arrears

    Civil servants throng ATMs, commend FG over payment of new minimum wage arrears

    Bank Customers, especially civil servants have continued to throng ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) areas around the FCT and environs to withdraw money for their last minute shopping and outings for the yuletide.

    The Federal civil servants commended the Federal Government for keeping to its promise to pay the arrears of the new minimum wage which came into effect in April 2019.

    Some of the customers, mostly government workers told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the prompt withdrawal followed the payment of the arrears of the new minimum wage by the Federal Government on Monday.

    Mrs Chikamso Nwobodo, a civil servant who reside at Nyanya, said the payment of the minimum wage arrears came as a surprise to her.

    “I was saving some money to settle my children’s school fees by January but as soon as I received the alert for the minimum wage arrears, I was overjoyed as I needed to buy some food items for the New Year also.

    “I know the Federal Government promised they will pay the money this December but I didn’t put my mind there because most times they pay late.

    “I want to use this opportunity to commend the Federal Government for this money. It is not easy because some government will promise and will not fulfil their promise.

    “It shows that the government has the interest of civil servants at heart. I hope they will continue this way in addressing issues concerning civil servants, kudos to them.

    “We should commend them when they do well,’’ she said.

    For another civil servant, Mr Charles Okoro who was seen at the EcoBank ATM in Nyanya, the payment of the minimum wage arrears came as a relief to him as he had expended virtually all his December salary for the Christmas.

    “I thank the Federal Government for this prompt payment. It came at the right time because I would have run into debt in this New Year.

    “Two of my daughters are in secondary school and before now, I have been thinking seriously because I know I don’t have enough to pay their fees.

    “I was only trusting God for a miracle and He did it,’’ he said.

    Meanwhile, some customers who were seen at PoS points at the Nyanya and Mararaba axis lamented that banks were using the medium to short-change their customers.

    Mr Yakubu Haruna, a customer, said that although PoS agents were an alternative to boycott ATM long queues, “the charges are becoming something else”.

    Haruna called for a downward review of the charges to encourage more patronage.

    “Their charges are exorbitant. Some of them charge as high as N200 and N300 for every N10, 000 to N20, 000 withdrawal.

    “Although,  most of them like Firstmonie agents still charge N100 for N10, 000 withdrawal, others will tell you that it is their commission.”

    At some ATMs at Area 3, Gariki area of the FCT saw few customers were making withdrawals. (NAN)

  • Trade union lauds Ganduje over minimum wage implementation

    Trade union lauds Ganduje over minimum wage implementation

    The Joint Public Service Negotiation Council (JNC), Kano State council, has commended Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje for implementing the new minimum wage of N30,600, an amount higher than the nationally-approved wage.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of JNC, Mr Magaji Inuwa, and made available to newsmen in Kano on Wednesday.

    “On behalf of the Executive Council members of the Joint Public Service Negotiation Council (JNC), Kano State council, the Chairman, Mr Hashim Saleh, heartily congratulates all workers for Allah’s mercy to see the New Year.

    “We also congratulate the workers for enjoying the fulfilled promise of the Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, who promptly implemented the new minimum wage of N30,600 which is more than Federal Government’s N30,000,” Inuwa said.

    He said the council had never doubted Ganduje’s sincerity to implement the new minimum wage, knowing full well his track record in salary payments without any hitch.

    Saleh assured the governor of workers’ readiness to support his administration in their areas of assignment for the overall success of his ‘worker-friendly’ government. (NAN)

  • Gov. Sule sets up committee on implementation of minimum wage

    Gov. Sule sets up committee on implementation of minimum wage

    Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has constituted a committee to work out modalities for the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage, Haruna Ogbole, finance commissioner, said on Friday in Lafia.

    Ogbole, while giving a breakdown of the 2020 budget of N100.51 billion, said that government was engaging the organised labour on the modalities for the implementation of the minimum wage.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Commissioner, who did not name members of the committee, said, however, that he was a member.

    When contacted, Mr Yusuf Iya, Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nasarawa State Council, said that the union was aware that the government had set up its side of the negotiating committee for the implementation of the minimum wage.

    The NLC Chairman added that the union’s committee was ready and was waiting for the government to commence the process.

    “We have already written to the government and submitted a template of the new minimum wage through the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council.

    “As soon as we receive communication on this regard from the government, negotiations will commence,” Iya added.

    He, therefore, called on workers in the state to remain calm and be law abiding as their welfare was being given the priority it deserved. (NAN)

  • Minimum Wage: Nasarawa decides to pay N30,000

    Minimum Wage: Nasarawa decides to pay N30,000

    By Jennifer Y Omiloli

    Nasarawa State Gov. Abdullahi Sule has promised to begin the process of implementing the state’s N30,000 minimum wage.

    The governor made the promise on Wednesday in Akwanga, the state’s local government area, at a two-day retreat for political appointees in the state.

    According to him, now that the consequential adjustment for employees at grade levels 7 to 17 has been achieved, the state will soon begin the implementation process.

    Sule said he had promised to obey the law as a governor, adding that the ‘ N30,000 minimum wage is a rule that must be obeyed in the state.

    “We will engage the organized labour in the state on the consequential adjustment for levels 7 to 17 civil servants as soon as we get the temple from the relevant organs of the Federal Government.

    “But the adjustment will be determined by our allocation from the Federation Account and accrual from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    “We would be very open to the unions and the public in our transaction so that together we would agree on the adjustment base on our financial capacity,’’ Sule stated.

    The governor also vowed to be open in running the state and assured that his campaign promises would be fulfilled.

  • TUC tells NASS to hamonise minimum wage for quick assent

    TUC tells NASS to hamonise minimum wage for quick assent

    By Musa Haruna

    On Monday, the President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Mr Bobboi Kaigama, called for quick harmonisation of the N30,000 national minimum wage bill to enable President Muhammadu Buhari assent to it.

    Kaigama spoke to Daybreak.ng in Lagos on the implementation of the new minimum wage.

    Daybreak reports that the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress had urged the President to sign and implement the new wage before the end of the 8th National Assembly.

    The TUC president said that the House of Representatives and the Senate needed to harmonise the agreed sum and pass it to the President for his assent.

    ”The N30,000 figure is one, but the aspect of law might not be the same. There is the need to come together and harmonise, produce a clean copy and forward to Buhari to sign.

    ”If that is not done as soon as possible, it will be difficult for the President to sign and implement the agreed national minimum wage.

    ”The day Buhari signs the new minimum wage bill, it becomes a law effective from that day,” he said.

    The labour chief said that implementation would be seamless since the Federal Government had said that it included its provision in the budget, but might take a while in some states that had not included it in their budget.

    He urged the private sector not to delay its implementation as soon as the bill is enacted into law.

    The TUC president advised the government to look into the issues of punishment for minimum wage defaulters and frequent review of the process.

    He also said that Value Added Tax should not be tied to the implementation of the new wage, particularly in the public sector.

    ”VAT is paid by consumers; it is paid by the lower class, while the business conglomerates and corporate organisations don’t pay appropriate tax.

    ”It is unfair to tell workers who pays appropriate tax that you will tie VAT to minimum wage. The organised labour disagrees with the government,” he said.

    Kaigama said that labour would resist any plan to fund the new minimum wage through increase in VAT.