Why minimum wage payment may delay — Labour

Organised Labour has called on Nigerians to be patient with the Federal and State Governments following the delay in the implementation of the new minimum wage.

This was even as the workers’ union absolved the Federal Government of any wrongdoing, saying it would be unfair to conclude that there was a deliberate attempt to avoid paying the new minimum wage.

The Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Monday.

President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29 after meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

It is reported that only seven other states – Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia —have set up implementation committees for the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage.

The states yet to raise implementation panels are Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Zamfara, Benue, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Enugu, Adamawa, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Cross River and Yobe.

So far, only Lagos and Edo claimed to have started paying the minimum wage.

Meanwhile, Adamawa government has also joined the growing list of states willing to pay the new wage on Monday.

Ndubuaku, however, insisted that it was important to let people know that there might be a slight delay as a result of the processes involved in the implementation of the N70,000 wage.

Nevertheless, the union leader expressed optimism that the process may be concluded by the end of August.

He said, “We have no reason to suspect that (deliberate delay). In a real sense, signing the wage is just a small component of the main activity. There is something we call consequential adjustment. That involves the calculation of the minimum wage from level one, step one. From there, we will move from stage one to 13 all the way to level 16.

“So it is something that may take some time. Again, they are not going to compile them alone. There are templates for compiling it. But they must also carry us along. I believe you are aware there is a committee that is supposed to carry out the necessary adjustments. We expect it should be completed before the end of the month.”

The Punch