As attention remains on the implementation of the new national minimum wage, Goodluck Ofobruku, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman in Delta, and his Trade Union (TUC) counterpart, Martins Bolum, have specifically requested a stay of action by the state government “in the best interest of workers.”....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
As reported by The Nation on Sunday, August 25, the labour leaders said that this was necessary because it was yet to receive from Abuja the enabling circular on the issue.
Despite being Africa’s fourth-largest economy, Nigeria’s minimum wage is not among the continent’s top ten, lagging far behind countries like Seychelles, where workers receive a minimum wage of $465.4 monthly.
After months of failed discussions, in July, the organised labour and the federal government agreed on N70,000 as a new minimum wage.
Following the agreement, the national assembly amended the minimum wage act, which was subsequently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
Not much has been heard at the sub-national level about the new minimum wage, which replaced the former N30,000 that expired last April, according to the former act.
Explaining the reason for the delayed implementation of the new minimum wage in Delta state, NLC’s Ofobruku assured workers that they had nothing to fear as the funds for the new minimum wage were already in the 2024 budget.
Business Day Newspaper quoted Ofobruku as saying: “We asked the government to step down the issue of the new minimum wage until we see the template.
“As we speak, we’ve been informed that the salary adjustments for levels 1 to 5 are ready while levels 6 and above will be finalised in about two weeks.
“However, some of us objected to this phased approach because there has never been a time where implementation starts with the junior cadre first.”