FG To Increase N30k Minimum Wage Over Global Inflation
The Federal Government has disclosed plans to increase the minimum wage of workers from N30,000.
This was revealed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Abuja on Monday while addressing members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at a public presentation of a publication titled, “Contemporary History of Working Class Struggles.”
According to Ngige, the increment in the minimum wage was crucial due to the present global inflation that has affected citizens’ purchasing power.
Recall that in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari signed Minimum Wage Act into law. Yet, many states, according to labour leaders, are yet to implement the law of paying their respective workers N30,000.
“The inflation is worldwide, we shall adjust the minimum wage in conformity with what is happening and much more important, the 2019 Minimum Wage Act has a new clause for a review.
“That adjustment has started with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), because the stage they are with their primary employers, the Ministry of Education, is a Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, negotiations.
“Under the principles of offer and acceptance, which is that of Collective Bargaining, ASUU can say let’s look at the offer they gave us and make a counter offer, but they have not done that, if they do that, we are bound to look at their offer, these are the ingredients of collective negotiations.” Ngige said.
Furthermore, Ngige mentioned that the government’s policy on ‘no work, no pay’ may stand, saying, “If you don’t work, you won’t eat. Labour provides the riches of any nation, as well as the prosperity of every family.”
Ngige also said that the government was hoping to to convert one of the institutes under his ministry – Michael Imoudu Institute of Labour Studies located in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, to a degree-awarding institution.
