Officials of some state governments told Saturday PUNCH that they had yet to get the written documents containing the execution road map from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, about 10 days after the wage bill assented into law.
The improvement is said to be delaying the kickoff of negotiations between officials of state governments and the organized labor in the diverse states.
The Trade Union Congress Chairman , Bobboi Kaigama , had last week told Saturday PUNCH that although workers gratified President Muhammadu Buhari for asserting the Minimum Wage Bill into law, the guide should be released right away by the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission so that organized labor could have an eventful discussion on the increments.
Nevertheless, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission told one of our newsmen on Thursday that it was still expecting the Presidency to hand out a copy of the Act to enable it to fix the proposal for state governments.
When communicated, the Chief Press Secretary, National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission, Mr. Emma Njoku, validated that an appended copy of the Act was yet being expected by the commission.
He aforementioned that once the new minimum wage act was obtained from the presidency, the commission would issue a circular letter for the execution of the new minimum wage.
He mentioned, are awaiting the presidency to send us a signed copy of the new minimum wage Act. As soon as we receive it, we will issue the circular letter for its execution. ”
But, when communicated, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, told
Saturday PUNCH that what was most essential was that Buhari had ordered that the execution of the new wage should kickoff from April.
He noted that on this note, whether the wages and salaries commission issued a circular or not was the issue.
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Circular or no circular, the minimum wage is N 30, 000, beginning from April. In accordance with the President ’ s speech”, Shehu said.
When he was likewise contacted on phone, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters ( Senate), Senator Ita Enang, said, “ I will not speak on it. If there is anything on their part ( NSIWC), they should call the Office of the Attorney- General of the Federation or the suitable agency of government.
“ It will not be suitable to be answering in the media to what someone has said as a view.
“ The AGF ’ s office and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation are there; so they ( wages commission) can make calls on any issues. ”
Yet, several calls placed to the AGF’ s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah, between Thursday and Friday and a text message demanding his reaction as to why his principal had yet to send the new Minimum Wage Act to the NSIWC, were not picked.
We will put pressure to forward wage guide – Labour
In the meantime. , the organized labor has suggested plots to put essential pressure on the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to forward the template to state governments.
The Vice Chairman of Trade Union Congress, Sunday Salako, said organized labor would continue to mount pressure on the suitable agency of government over the detail in the release of guide for the new Minimum Wage to the state governments.
He expressed that, Organised labor will not relax in the quest of the new minimum wage issue. Of course, we will put the pressure . Once the organized labor has details on the reason for the hold-up, we will write to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. I am sure that the chairman will not want to see the other side of labor”
In the meantime, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour our Congress, Dr. Peter Ozo- Eson, has said the first task of the new state executives is to talk on the manner the new minimum wage would be paid in their states.
He, nevertheless, said that all states were not likely to pay the same amount to workers.
“ Each state council of the NLC will opens dialogues with the state government. We just conducted the state council elections. The new leadership that won in several states will open talks with state governments as their first task, ” he noted.
Officials of 24 states who spoke to Saturday PUNCH explicit the readiness to pay the new minimum wage but said certain conditions and agreements must be arrived at with labor unions and the Federal Government.
They also said they were expecting the execution guidelines from the Federal Government.
Some of the states were Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, and Ekiti.
Other states are Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Plateau.
Adeniyi Adesina, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, in a chat with one of our newsmen, said the state was expecting the template for the execution of the new wage before answering.
Adesina expressed that, The state is expecting the Federal Government ’ s execution guidelines to enable it ( Osun) to answer. ”
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Simon Lalong on Media and Publicity, Mr. Mark Longyen, said the payment would only begin after the government had made the essential arrangement, including talks with the workers, to ensure the smooth kick- off of the policy in the state.
He expressed that, There are some things that need to be resolved before the government starts the payment of the minimum wage. For example, the government will need to dialogue with the state labor congress in order to sort out any grey area and come up with modalities for execution. ”
Likewise, Katsina State Government said it was still expecting a circular from the NSIWC, which would categorically state how much should be paid as minimum wage to workers, include that there was nothing the state could do without the guidelines.
“ You can’ t build something on nothing, ” the official disclosed, figuring out that the circular was the real working paper for the execution of the new minimum wage.”
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