FG Releases Circular on Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment

The federal government has finally released the circular on the
implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage to federal workers,
setting the stage for the labour unions in the states to commence
the negotiations on consequential adjustment to the new wage,
Thisday report.

Our correspondent gathered that the circular, which originated
from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, was
released at the weekend.

While Katsina and Borno States chapters of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) have confirmed that they had received the circular
of the new minimum wage consequential adjustment from the federal
government, the Osun State NLC said the circular is expected to
reach the state on Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

The President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, who confirmed the
issuance of the circular to our correspondent at the weekend, said
that with the development, state governments that have been waiting
to use the federal government’s minimum wage consequential
adjustment template to negotiate with their labour unions will now
effectively commence negotiations with their workers.

He also said the release of the circular was an indication that
the payment of the new minimum wage has commenced across board.

“The new minimum wage circular was just released yesterday
(Friday) by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission –
that is the implementation circular for public service in the
federal civil service. We received clear information that the
circular was released Friday evening,” he explained.

When asked if the states have been availed of copies of the
minimum wage implementation circular, Wabba said that the
leadership of the labour movement is following up, adding that it
would be made available to them.

According to Wabba the minimum wage consequential adjustment
deal reached at the federal level is the benchmark that is supposed
to guide state governments and other private sector employers of
labour to also reach agreement with their workers.

He also said that the circular directed that implementation will
take effect from April 18, the day President Muhammadu Buhari
signed the new minimum wage bill into law.

Wabba said now that the circular for federal workers are out,
labour will follow-up and ensure that states get copies to guide
their negotiations.

“State branches of the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the
Public Service Joint Negotiating Councils (PSJNC) are working
assiduously with the state governments as a team and in many states
process are ongoing.

“We are following up. It is our duty to make the circular
available to states and we will do that. Once the process starts,
you will see that it will move from state to state until it is
concluded,” he said.

He cited Lagos, Katsina and Kaduna as states where the process
of negotiations has already begun.

Wabba assured workers that the leadership of the various
centres, NLC, TUC and the Joint Negotiating Council were
collectively working and monitoring the process to see that every
worker gets the new minimum wage.

He said it was not only in the public sector that the minimum
wage issue was being taken up, adding that the private sector
employers were also engaged in negotiations to comply with New
Minimum Wage Act.

The NLC president said that states have expressed the commitment
to pay the new minimum wage except two states, adding that labour
intends to dialogue further with affected states and make them
understand that it has capacity to do some level of engagement.

Under the agreement reached between federal government and
representatives of labour, core civil servants on Grade Level 7
will get 23.2 per cent adjustment; Grade Level 8 (20 per cent),
Grade Level 9 (19 per cent), Grade Levels 10-14 (16 per cent) and
Grade Levels 15-17 (14 per cent).

Other workers on Grade Level 7 will be given (23.2 per cent),
while Grade Levels 8-14 will earn (16 per cent) and Grade Levels
15-17 (10.5 per cent).

Meanwhile, in Katsina State, the state chapter of NLC said it
had received the circular of the new minimum wage consequential
adjustment from federal government and inaugurated a committee for
its implementation.

The state NLC Chairman, Mr. Hussaini Hamisu, told THISDAY that
negotiations would soon commence between NLC and state government
to address issues in the consequential adjustment.

He said: “Consequential adjustment table is very explanatory.
Therefore, NLC as a body would ensure that all workers in Katsina
benefit from the new salary increment.

“Government has already set up their negotiation team and we as
NLC have also inaugurated our own negotiation committee. We will
sit down together and commence the negotiation process soon,” he
said.

In the meantime, Katsina State government has inaugurated the
committee to negotiate consequential adjustment in salaries arising
from the new National Minimum Wage.

The committee, headed by the Secretary to State Government
(SSG), Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, has 21 days to complete its
assignment.

Inaugurating the committee at Government House, Governor Aminu
Bello Masari urged them to ensure that their recommendations were
in accordance with the ‘limited resources” of the state.

In Borno State, the state chairman of NLC, Mr. Bulama Abiso,
told THISDAY that the union had received the circular at the
weekend.

He said the union would this week officially write the state
government to kick-start negotiation.

The Chairman of the NLC in Osun State, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, said
the circular on minimum wage on the consequential adjustment from
the federation government would reach the state between Tuesday and
Wednesday this week.

He told THISDAY that there were no negotiations yet because
there was a directive that the union must follow the federal
government’s templates.

THISDAY gathered that the 20-man Joint Negotiating Committee for
the implementation of the new minimum wage and its consequential
adjustment in Ebonyi State were still meeting.

The state Secretary of NLC, Mr. Chukwuma Onwe, said though the
state chapter had not received the circular of minimum wage
adjustment from the federal government, the joint committee had
been negotiating on acceptable structure.

Also, the Special Assistant to the Ebonyi State governor on
Inter-Party and Labour Matters, Ms. Jennifer Nwafor, told THISDAY
that workers in the state would enjoy better days ahead.

The Adamawa State Chairman of NLC, Chief Emmanuel Fashe, said
the Governor, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, has directed that no state
worker should receive below N32,000 as minimum wage this
November.

Fashe said they were awaiting the circular on consequential
adjustment.

The Kwara State Vice Chairman of the NLC, Alhaji Salihu Yusuf,
told THISDAY: “The circular has not been sent to the NLC but
hopefully next week. This is based on our resolution at the NLC
leadership retreats at Enugu State recently. It was agreed upon
that we should all wait until the template and the circular from
National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission is made available to
the leadership of the NLC.”

The Chairman of NLC in Oyo State, Mr. Bayo Titilola-Sodo, told
THISDAY that the union was yet to get the circular of minimum wage
consequential adjustment, adding that the circular was still being
expected.

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