FG, roll out new salary table

Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the
implementation of the newly approved minimum wage of N30,000 to all
federal government workers who earn below the amount. But the
announcement, rather than elicit joy, dampened the spirit of
workers across the country as it fell short of their
expectations.

The President’s order was disclosed by the Executive Chairman,
National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission [NSIWC] Dr. Richard
Onwuka Egbule at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. He said based
on the president’s approval, implementation takes effect from April
18, 2019. Egbule said civil servants affected are only those who
earn less than N30,000 monthly and no federal government staffer
will earn less than N30,000 per month. He also said salary
structures affected include consolidated public service salary
structure (CONPSS); consolidated health salary structure (CONHESS);
consolidated research and allied institutions salary structure
(CONRAISS); consolidated tertiary institutions salary structure
(CONTISS II) and consolidated tertiary educational institutions
salary structure, CONTEDNESS.

Egbule said “the negotiations between the Federal Government and
the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council on the
consequential adjustments arising from the new national minimum
wage for officers who earned salaries above N30,000 per month
before 18th April, 2019 in the federal civil service will
continue.” The outcome of such negotiations, he said, will be
implemented with effect from the date an agreement is reached. He
also said arrears arising from implementation of the N30,000
minimum wage will be worked out by all concerned agencies in
partnership with the Office of the Accountant General of the
Federation.

This came after another meeting between Federal Government
representatives and those of Labour ended in a deadlock. Soon after
the signing of the new minimum wage into law, a joint committee was
set up to work on the consequential adjustment. Till date they are
yet to reach an agreement. At their last meeting, Labour proposed
30 per cent salary increase for officers on levels 7 to 14 but the
government team proposed nine and a half per cent salary increase
for them. Also, while labour proposed 25 per cent increase for
officers on grade levels 15 to 17, the federal government offered
five per cent. A stalemate therefore ensued.

The Trade Union Congress [TUC] has threatened to embark on
strike over the issue. It said government appears not to be
committed to implementing the new minimum wage “going by the way
its representatives in the committee set up to negotiate the
adjustment arising from the new minimum wage was handling the
negotiations.” TUC’s President Comrade Quadri Olaleye said the
entire process lacked transparency. He said organised labour was
considerate enough by lowering its initial demand of increasing
salaries of GL 07 to GL 17 officers by 66.66% per cent, ‘‘yet
government is only offering 9.5 per cent for levels 07-14 officers
and 5 per cent for GL 15-17”. Olaleye also said the consequential
adjustment is supposed to be negotiated openly in the spirit of
collective bargaining. He said, “As it stands now, we may be forced
to go to the trenches.”

The president’s directive to commence payment for only some
workers was an anti-climax and it left many workers disappointed.
While his order may have fulfilled the letter of the law, it
definitely violated the spirit of the minimum wage law. This issue
has dragged on for far too long, from the period when Labour began
agitating for a review to the signing of the bill by the president.
Instead of five years after which a salary review should be done,
the last time there was an increment in salaries was in 2011. There
is really no reason why, three months after signing the bill, it is
yet to be implemented. Officers earning above N30,000 also deserve
quick implementation because they were also affected by inflation
and depreciation of the Naira.

Both parties should return to the negotiation table and we
should have a comprehensive salary table for all grades of workers
very soon.

Daily Trust