Minimum wage: Labour warns as FG is set to disappoint workers

There are indications that the full implementation of the
N30,000 new minimum wage for civil servants may not take effect
this month.

The Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating
Council, Abdrafiu Adeniji, told our correspondent exclusively that
despite President Muhammadu Buhari signing the National Minimum
Wage Act into law in April, technicalities surrounding negotiation
process might necessitate the first batch of salaries to be paid in
arrears.

This came as the Secretary of the JNPSNC, Alade Lawal, warned
federal and state governments against the burden of heavy
arrears.

According to Adeniji, while the council is ready for
negotiation, the Federal Government has yet to come up with the
salary table that will kick-start negotiations.

He said, “Negotiation is a technical issue that must be handled
well. We have to look at many indices. The government is expected
to make its own preparations, specifying what it intends to add to
salaries. Eight bodies will eventually meet to conclude the
negotiations. If workers cannot get the new salary in May, there is
always room for payment of arrears.”

Lawal, who is coordinating negotiations on behalf of workers,
warned government of the danger in delaying negotiations with
labour.

He recalled that the last negotiations when the minimum wage was
raised to N18,000 was poorly handled, adding that the JNPSNC would
negotiate the best deal for workers this time round.

He said, “Now that the minimum wage has been signed into law,
the next stage is for the government to open negotiations with the
JNPSNC on the relativity and consequential adjustment in the new
salary. The minimum salary in the civil service before was 18,900
when the minimum wage was N18,000; you can pay higher but not
lower. The only thing that has been agreed now is the new law which
specified N30,000. But what we have not known is what salary
workers from level one to level 17 will take home. “Government
cannot just throw a figure at us by a fiat. We have written a
letter to the Office of the Head of Service and copied the Minister
of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, Office of the Secretary
to the Government of the Federation and office of the Salaries,
Income and Wages Commission to tell them to set up a body that will
start the negotiations.

“On Thursday we sent a reminder to them. We have not heard
anything concrete from the letter but we hope to put more pressure
on government to ensure that the process is completed quickly. If
you leave government at its pace, things might not be done as fast
as expected.

It is only when that is done that Salaries, Income and Wages
Commission will issue an enabling circular. After that, we can talk
of what workers will take home according to grade levels. We wonder
what is delaying this.

“Workers are apprehensive. They are expecting increased salaries
even though they may not fully understand the process. Government
nonetheless need not drag the issue because the quantum arrears to
be paid will be too heavy. We expect government to do something in
the next few days.”

Lawal added that the negotiating body would be headed by the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with the Head of
Service, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Salaries, Income and
Wages Commission, Ministry of Finance, Budget Office, Accountant
General Office and organised labour, which will be represented by
officials of the JNPSNC.

He said, “The last negotiation was bungled when the minimum wage
was raised to N18,000 because N900 was added to salaries across
board. We are trying to avoid that. We presented a table then with
the financial cost being N55bn monthly but they said the money was
too much. Those who handled the negotiation eventually agreed on
N11bn.

“The number of employees in the public service including the
security agencies, universities and polytechnic then was around
950,000. They now shared the money with everyone getting N900
salary addition. That was the error at the time.

“We have already presented a table to the government. We are not
going to be rigid with the government during negotiations but we
will not accept ridiculous relativity.”

Efforts made by our correspondent to reach the Head of the Civil
Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, for comments were
unsuccessful.

A source at the office, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
said, “The Permanent Secretary is the one that handles all meetings
with the JNPSNC. She handles labour issues. She is not around now.
Secondly, the Head of Service is not around too. I do not know when
they will be around.”

Asked if he was aware of a copy of the letter submitted to the
SGF office by the JNPSNC, the Director of Communication at the
office, Willie Bassey, told our correspondent that he was not aware
of the letter.

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