Minimum wage: FG gives 22-man committee four weeks to submit report

The federal government on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated a 22-man committee to negotiate the consequential adjustment in salaries arising from the new national minimum wage passed into law recently. This came after last Thursday’s comment by President Muhammadu Buhari that the salaries of all those earning above the minimum wage would be reviewed. The President […]

The federal government on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated a 22-man committee to negotiate the consequential adjustment in salaries arising from the new national minimum wage passed into law recently.

This came after last Thursday’s comment by President Muhammadu Buhari that the salaries of all those earning above the minimum wage would be reviewed.

The President who spoke during the inauguration of the Technical Advisory Committee on the implementation of New National Minimum Wage, chaired by Bismarck Rewane, at the council chambers, added that the process of the review would commence after the passage of the new minimum wage bill.

The inauguration of the committee by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Gida Mustapha, came one month after President Buhari signed the national minimum wage bill into law.

The committee has four weeks to conclude and submit its reports.

The committee which is being chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, also has the SGF as the Alternate Chairman.

Members of the committee from the government side are the ministers of Labour and Employment, Budget and National Planning, Education, Health and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Others are Director General, Budget Office of the Federation; Secretary, Federal Judicial Service Commission; Secretary, National Assembly Service Commission; and Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission who is to serve as Member/Secretary.

On the side of the Trade Unions, 10 representatives have been nominated by the Joint National Public Service Negotiation Council as members of the committee.

Mustapha said the primary mandate of the committee will be to negotiate the consequential adjustment in salaries arising from the new national minimum wage.

“I have no doubt in my mind that you have abundant literature, reports and other materials to help this assignment. The duration of the assignment is four clear weeks from this inauguration.

“It is expected that the Committee will work assiduously to complete the assignment. I urge the Committee to amicably consider the issue of relativity and consequential adjustment with thoroughness, bearing in mind the welfare of the nation’s workforce vis-à-vis the current economic reality,” the SGF said.

On her part, Mrs. Oyo-Ita said the minimum wage was last reviewed eight years ago, in 2011 and that issue of upward review of wage in civil service has come a long way.

She added that after the last review, concerted efforts have been made by various stakeholders to ensure that workers in Nigeria receives wages commensurate with their output in the public service considering the prevailing socio-economic realities.

She said the committee is to ensure that the benefits cut across all levels of workers in the public service.

She commended the leadership of the Labour unions for their understanding during and after the negotiation of the new minimum wage and assured that the committee will do its best to deliver on its mandate within the stipulated time frame.