Minimum Wage: Labour Leaders Send Key Warning Message to Governors Not Implementing N70k Pay
- Former NLC boss, Ayuba Wabba, has said that those delaying the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage are violators of human rights
- Wabba asserted that once the president signed the minimum wage bill into law, the N70,000 wage became an official law in Nigeria
- The NLC has also stated that it will take a firm stand against the stubborn governors, who they accuse of lacking empathy for workers
TheTalk.NG journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.
FCT, Abuja – As workers insist there is a need to adjust their salaries taking into consideration the consequential effect of the new minimum wage, labour leaders in Nigeria have described states that are delaying the payment of the N70,000 pay as violators of human rights.
TheTalk.NG recalls that the Minimum Wage Act took effect in July following the signing of the bill by President Bola Tinubu on the 29th of that month.
Wabba calls out some Nigerian governors for human rights abuse.
Photo credit: @NLCHeadquartersSource: Twitter
The new monthly minimum wage was raised by 133% from 30,000 to 70,000, amid the economic hardship eroding millions of Nigerians’ purchasing power.
Negotiations between the federal and state governments, organised labour, and the private sector took some time, and when all was over, state governors asked that they be given till the end of October to enable them to put their finances in order.
Subsequently, about 20 states revealed their implementation of the new wage law, which sees them pay N70,000 approved by the FG.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, monitored by TheTalk.NG, former labour leader Ayuba Wabba stated that it was well known that once the president signed the minimum wage bill into law, the N70,000 wage became an official law in Nigeria.
He said:
“From the moment the president signed the bill, it became effective immediately and applies to all categories of workers.”
Wabba added:
“Many states have already implemented the new wage. In Borno state, the governor announced and implemented it, including for teachers. However, there are other states where there is still no indication of when they will implement the new salary.”
“Everyone is aware of the dire state of the Nigerian economy. Workers have been pushed to their limits, and the situation has reached an extreme.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also stated that it will take a firm stand against the stubborn governors, who they accuse of lacking sympathy for workers.
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Minimum wage: Fresh battle looms in states
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that a report disclosed a fresh battle was looming over the arrears.
Several states are already looking forward to receiving arrears of the new minimum wage as state chapters of the NLC are currently in negotiations over its payment.
Source: TheTalk.NG
