27, 000 new minimum wage for all workers’ categories- Ngige

The recommended new National Minimum Wage of N27, 000 is for all categories of workers in Nigeria whether Public or Private Sector and is so contained in the new National Minimum Wage Bill. This was stated Friday by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in a statement issued to newsmen. The minister explained […]

The recommended new National Minimum Wage of N27, 000 is for all categories of workers in Nigeria whether Public or Private Sector and is so contained in the new National Minimum Wage Bill.

This was stated Friday by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in a statement issued to newsmen.

The minister explained that the workers in the Public Sector are those working in the Federal, State, and Local Government tiers of Government, stressing that the National Minimum Wage is for workers occupying the lowest rung of the remuneration ladder on Grade Level 1 step 1, who are the most vulnerable segment of Nigerian workers.

He said, “It is of utmost importance to note that any Public or Private Sector employer who is capable of paying more than the N27, 000 should be ready to do so even without subjecting the concerned workers to a tortuous negotiation by the applicable Negotiation Councils. The Federal Government has taken the lead in this direction by proposing to augment the N27, 000 National Minimum Wage of Federal workers by N3, 000 per month to bring it up to N30,000 for the least paid worker per month. The Federal Government accordingly, expects others in the Public and Private Sectors to do the same, and if the financial capacity permits, employers can pay more than Thirty Thousand Naira (N30, 000.00) especially where their workers are very productive and the Private Sector is a very profitable enterprise.

“As the matter of a National Minimum Wage is in the Exclusive Legislative List as item No. 34 of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), it is therefore the Executive arm of Government that has the responsibility to prescribe a new National Minimum Wage and send to the National Assembly (NASS) for legislative action of getting the Bill passed and/or amended and reverting same to Mr. President for Assent like any other law of the nation. It is important therefore, to use this medium to ask the different groups who have interest agreeing or disagreeing on the contents of the 2019 National Minimum Wage Bill already transmitted to NASS, to get ready to make their views known at the public hearing.”

Ngige commended the National Assembly for expeditiously treating the Bill by letting it pass the first and second readings in one legislative day and also in setting up an urgent and ad hoc Committee to treat the matter in both Chambers