Minimum Wage: Unrealistic labour demands delaying implementation —FG

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred
Oyo-Ita, has said that unrealistic demand from senior civil
servants is delaying the implementation of the new Minimum
Wage.

Negotiation between the Federal Government and the Joint
National Public Negotiation Council broke down two weeks ago
because of differences in percentage increase in the salaries of
workers.

While the FG representatives in the technical committee set up
to negotiate the consequential increase had proposed 9.5 per cent
salary increase for workers on Grade Levels 07 to 14 and five per
cent increase for employees on Grade Levels 15 to 17, labour
representatives are demanding for 30 per cent salary increase for
workers on Grade Levels seven to 14 and 25 per cent for workers on
Grade Levels 15 to 17.

While speaking with journalists at the opening ceremony of a
retreat on 2017-2020 federal civil service strategy and
implementation plan organised by the Office of the Head of the
Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja on Monday, Oyo-Ita said
the FG under President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to the
implementation of the new Minimum Wage, calling on labour to review
its demands.

She said, “President Buhari is keen on the implementation of new
Minimum Wage and that is why the committee set up on the
consequential adjustment arising from the new Minimum Wage has been
meeting unions within labour union and public service to arrive at
a consequential adjustment.

“There were a few not very realistic demands from the unions and
so as not to continue delaying the implementation of the well
thought out and dear policy of the President, we have to go ahead
and seek his approval for the implementation while we continue
discussion on the consequential adjustment.”

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