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Tag: minimum wage

  • Subsidy removal: S’West pensioners demand N40,000 minimum pension

    Subsidy removal: S’West pensioners demand N40,000 minimum pension

    Pensioners in the South-West geo-political zone have demanded for N40,000 minimum pension from the governors in the zone.

    The pensioners made the demand at the end of the meeting of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), South-West zone, held in Ibadan on Thursday.

    The meeting was attended by union executives from Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and Ogun states.

    Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, the NUP Public Relations Officer for the zone, Mr Olusegun Abatan, said that the plight of pensioners in the South-West in particular and Nigeria in general had remained static for years.

    According to Abatan, some pensioners in the zone earn as low as N350 monthly pension, while the governors seem not to see anything wrong with it.

    He said that many states in the zone last paid their pensioners’ gratuities between 2012 and 2014, describing it as criminal and unacceptable.

    “Governors’ salaries have continued to increase while some of them still factor in life pensions for themselves after spending four to eight years, without thinking about the lives of pensioners as well as their gratuities and pensions.

    “The South-West zone of NUP has decided at our meeting that we will not take anything less than N40,000 minimum pension.

    “It is disheartening to tell you that while workers have minimum wage, there is no minimum pension,” Abatan said.

    He said that the removal of petrol subsidy had not only affected the citizens of Nigeria, but had more effect on pensioners.

    The NUP public relations officer said that pensioners now found it more difficult to attend to their medical expenses and other needs as a result of low pension.

    Abatan said that the NUP in the zone would soon come out with its own scale of pension review that would be presented to all the states in the zone, adding that this might also be passed to other zones across the country.

    “We know we don’t have the power to go on strike but we have other means to drive and achieve our demands,” he said.

    Abatan called on Nigerians to stand up for their rights against both the state and federal governments.

  • Subsidy Removal: NULGE demands 300% minimum wage increment

    Subsidy Removal: NULGE demands 300% minimum wage increment

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called for 300 per cent increment in the minimum wage for workers across all sectors due to the inflation caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

    NULGE National President, Mr Ambali Olatunji, said this in a communique jointly signed by Mr Isah Gambo, General Secretary of the union, at the end of its regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

    Olatunji said that the 300 per cent rise was imperative considering the inflation necessitated by the removal of fuel subsidy on local government staff.

    Accordingly to him, it is the position of NULGE that there should be 300 per cent rise in the minimum wage for all Local Government workers and other public servants including private sector workers.

    He also said that considering the overbearing posture of the state governors on local government which had left it prostrate in the country, there was need for state of emergency to be declared on local government administration.

    This, he said would address the infrastructural decay, poverty and state of unemployment across the local governments in the country.

    Olatunji also said that government as a matter of urgency should create a special intervention fund to take care of aforementioned social welfare and infrastructural decay through the Ministry of Special Duty.

    NUGLE boss said that the proposed fund should be able to carter for projects and programmes in conjunction with local government.

    He further called on the federal government to establish a special agency to collaborate with the local government administration in administering the fund for the development and the transformation of the rural areas.

    He added that considering the state of insecurity that had affected food production in the country, the local government administration should be assisted in establishing special vigilante to protect farmers.

    He, however, acknowledged the effort of federal and state governments to cushion the effect of the economic policies on citizens.

    Olatunji also urged the government to utilise the 800 million dollars from World Bank to provide mass transit and other interventions especially in the auto-mobile spare parts companies, to carter for the transport need of the masses.

    “This will discourage importation, alternate energy provision (CNG), vocational skill acquisition centers for youth and women,” he said.

    He also advised government to give tax rebate/holiday for low income earners and small scale entrepreneurs, as a way of encouraging and sustaining their businesses.

    He condemned the attacks on local government secretariats in Plateau, Anambra, Abia and Enugu states by gunmen nothing that they were unwarranted.

    Olatunji while calling for urgent re-opening of the 17 local governments in Plateau shut down as a result of alledged political crisis, urged the SGF to expedite action on the scheme of service for the local government.

    “It is the conviction of the union that autonomy for local governments remains the best way to return the country to the part of development and growth.

    “This will translate to the direct funding of local governments without which no genuine national development can be achieved,” he said.

    He also called for the establishment of Local Government Police (Community Police) to address the spate of insecurity across the country.

    Olatunji further called for special rural allowances for local government staff to discourage rural-urban migration.

  • Fuel subsidy removal: President Tinubu told to pay N200,000 minimum wage

    Fuel subsidy removal: President Tinubu told to pay N200,000 minimum wage

    A non-governmental organisation known as Workers’ Alliance for Inclusive Socio-economic Reforms (WAISER) has asked President Bola Tinubu to pay N200,000 as minimum wage.

    WAISER asked President Tinubu to pay N200,000 monthly salary as minimum wage for Nigerian workers to cushion effects of the recent fuel subsidy removal

    The group also proposed to government,  two days of the week as e-governance work days in line with global emerging trends.

    The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Amodu Isiaka, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The proposal, according to Isiaka will help boost productivity and increase morale of Nigerian workers.

    Isiaka said the call became imperative to urgently reduce the pains workers are going through in view of the subsidy removal.

    He said the socio-economic realities of the removal are currently being faced by about 130 million Nigerians living below poverty line; with over 30 per cent unemployment rate.

    Speaking further on the proposal, he said, “this will automatically reduce work-related expenditure by as much as 40%.

    “Kwara, Edo and some other states have embraced declaration of two days as work free days. Benue has experimented with work- free days for farming. Kaduna State also has a work-free day policy.

    “The Federal Government has an existing initiative on e-governance through National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Security Exchange Commission (SEC).

    “This was designed to among others to support the development of government eservices for responsive, efficient, effective and equitable delivery of public service to all people in strategic sectors of the economy.

    “Apart from saving cost, productivity will be more transparent, measurable and manageable onegovernment platforms.

    “Hence, it will be an incentive for improved performance in service delivery,” he added.

    On the minimum wage, the national coordinator said, “there should be an immediate upward review of wages for workers.

    “The minimum wage of 30,000 naira is no longer tenable. We are proposing 200,000 naira per month (about 500% increase).

    Among other proposals put forward by Isiaka is the immediate financial and technical supports to schools and hospitals in the private sector of the economy.

    He also called for special allowances for Military and Police Personnel (MPP) while a state of emergency should be declared in the agriculture and housing sectors.

  • Turkey raises minimum wage second time in 2023

    Turkey raises minimum wage second time in 2023

    Turkey on Tuesday raised the monthly minimum wage by 30 per cent, the second hike so far this year, as stubbornly high inflation takes its toll on low-income earners.

    Turkish households have been grappling with the highest inflation in over two decades, reflected in lower buying power, higher food prices and rents, among other costs.

    The Turkish minimum wage is now 11,402 liras ($483), Minister of Labour and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan told reporters in Ankara, according to state news agency Anadolu.

    He added tax exemptions for employers would continue.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who in elections earlier this month extended his rule into a third term, had pledged his government would not allow employees “get crushed under” high inflation, acknowledging economic troubles.

    Turkey’s official inflation stood at nearly 40% in May. Independent groups think real inflation figures are more than double the official figure.

    The amount of money required to feed a family of four is 10,360 liras, just below the minimum wage, according to local workers’ union Türk-İş.

  • NLC explains why minimum wage increase not the focus amidst subsidy removal

    NLC explains why minimum wage increase not the focus amidst subsidy removal

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero, has shed light on why the union is not currently seeking an increase in the minimum wage, calling for alternative solutions.

    In a recent chat with journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing 111th Session of the International Labour Conference, ILC, in Geneva, Switzerland, Ajaero emphasized that the NLC’s agreement with the governors pertains to wage awards, not minimum wage.

    He also criticized state governors for implementing ad hoc measures such as reducing working days, warning that these actions would exacerbate the country’s socio-economic situation.

    It would be recalled that following a series of meetings between the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and the leadership of organised labour, the Federal Government on 23rd October 2019, announced its decision to upgrade the national minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000 effective from 18th April of the same year.

    The National Minimum Wage Act sets a timeframe for the expiration and subsequent review of the minimum wage to ensure that it remains relevant and reflective of the economic conditions of the country.

    Section 3 (3) of the National Minimum Wage Act states that “the National Minimum Wage expires after five years, and it shall be reviewed in line with the provisions of this Act.”

    Consequently, Ajaero stated that the minimum wage review will proceed as scheduled by early next year, fulfilling the statutory requirement outlined in the National Minimum Wage Act 2019.

    The NLC President stated, “The agreement we had with them is not on minimum wage. The agreement we had with them is on wage award and it must be understood clearly.”

    He further explained that the removal of fuel subsidies without any corresponding provisions had prompted discussions on minimum wage, but pointed out the failure of state governors to comply with the minimum wage law.

    While the Trade Union Congress has asked the Federal Government to increase the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N200,000, the NLC proposes an alternative solution in the form of wage awards to alleviate the impact of subsidy removal.

    Ajaero also highlighted the potential of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cost-effective fuel option, citing a pilot study conducted in the Edo area, where 10,000 vehicles were converted to CNG which would cost approximately N90 per litre.

    Acknowledging the resistance the NLC might face in implementing these alternatives, he stated: “We are not deceived because there is going to be a fight. The powerful force behind PMS subsidy that had fought us all these years would make sure CNG does not see the light of the day.”

    Ajaero called for an investigation into the subsidy regime to ensure transparency and urged the completion of modular refineries to lower fuel costs.

    The NLC condemned the reduction of working days as a temporary solution, arguing that it decreases productivity and poses significant challenges in crucial sectors like healthcare and education.

    He stated, “You are telling a doctor to come to work for three days, you are telling a nurse to work for three days. And you are telling a teacher with the challenges we are having in schools to come for three days. All these are ad hoc measures that cannot provide any solution.”

    As the NLC prepares to meet with the Federal Government on Monday 19th June for a continuation of discussions, its focus remains on wage awards and alternative solutions to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal, urging stakeholders to consider the long-term socio-economic impact and work towards sustainable solutions.

  • Edo govt increases minimum wage, reduces number of work days

    Edo govt increases minimum wage, reduces number of work days

    In order to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal the Edo State Government has increased the minimum wage for workers in the state from N30,000 to N40,000.

    The increment in the  minimum wage was announced via a statement released on Tuesday by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    The Edo governor also reduced working days from five to three, while the remaining two days will be work from home by civil servants in the state.

    He assured that his administration would stand with workers “in these very challenging times”.

    Obaseki also said his administration would do all within its power to ameliorate the sufferings of residents.

    “As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo state from the approved N30,000 to N40,000, the highest in the country today,” the statement read in part.

    It added that “the Edo State government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week till further notice. Workers will now work from home two days every week.”

  • Minimum wage: Nigeria workers living in denial – Gov. Soludo

    Minimum wage: Nigeria workers living in denial – Gov. Soludo

    Anambra Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, said that the N30,000 national minimum wage for Nigerian workers is grossly insufficient to sustain the average worker and his family.

    Soludo stated this while addressing the state workers during the 2023 May Day celebration held at Dr Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, on Monday.

    According to him, “paying N30,000 national minimum wage to Nigerian workers is subjecting them to living in denial.

    “I say this because the amount cannot afford a bag of 50kg rice, let alone other domestic problems staring families on the face on daily basis,” he said.

    The governor who was responding to the litany of challenges reeled out by the chairmen of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, said he recently raised the salaries of workers by 10 per cent to cushion the effects of inflation on workers.

    He said that as an expert in economics, he was aware of inflation in our economy which had made workers to be in serious pains given what they earn as salaries.

    Soludo used the medium to direct the state workers to end the Monday sit-at-home which he noted was becoming a cheating on government.

    “In more than a year now, workers in Anambra and other states in the South-East no longer work on Mondays and this has made it for them to work for 70/80 per cent monthly, while they receive their monies 100 per cent.

    “This can no longer continue because it is like it has become a convenient excuse and we must get our state back on track,” he said.

    Soludo said, under his watch, any worker who retires must get his or her retirement benefits.

    He also assured that he would continue to pay monthly salaries in addition to other projects.

    He told the labour leaders that the option available for him to implement the enhanced wages being clamoured for was for the government to reduce the workforce by half.

    Soludo who commended the state workers for their commitment appealed to them to do more as he will ensure that they get better welfare once the state revenue increased.

    Earlier, Humphrey Nwafor and Chris Ogbonna, both NLC and TUC state chairmen, respectively, had in their separate addresses listed challenges facing workers in the state.

    They maintained that wages received by Anambra workers cannot feed them and their families, while appealing that those due for promotions should be promoted.

  • Ngige urges Tinubu’s administration to review minimum wage

    Ngige urges Tinubu’s administration to review minimum wage

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has urged the incoming administration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to review the current minimum wage of N30,000 currently obtainable in Nigeria.

    Ngige, who was a member of the committee that negotiated the present minimum wage in 2019 from N18,000 to N30,000, noted that the country’s minimum wage should be reviewed every five years to fit current standard of living.

    The minister, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, further mentioned that he would include in his handover notes that the discussion surrounding minimum wage should start immediately the new government is sworn-in in May 2023, ahead of it’s implementation, which he said should be in May 2024.

    I’m envisaging that as from May 2023, the government will impanel the new minimum wage review committee for the nation

    He said the discussions would involve the public sector, private sector and state governments, and according to the last bill passed should start a year before it officially takes effect.

    He said, “It is a tripartite negotiation involving public sector, private sector and state governments. We entrenched in that bill or law that minimum wage will now have an automaticity of review every five years.

    “So, from 2019 when it came into effect to 2024 will be five years but we also made a recommendation in our document which we submitted that the discussion, the negotiation should start one year from May 2024 when it supposed to kick-start.

    “So, I’m envisaging that as from May 2023, the government will impanel the new minimum wage review committee for the nation.

    “In my handover note which I am going to hand over to the transition committee and the next government, I am recommending that the discussions start anytime from May 2023.”

    Ngige also noted that the Federal Government has approved a pay rise for civil servants which would take effect from January 1, 2023, adding that the provision is already included in the 2023 budget.

    The minister said the salary increment became important in view of the current economic reality of the country, however adding that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is yet to approve the percentage used for the increment.

    He said, “In the Presidential Committee on Salaries, we have done something for the civil servants for those who are on Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure and some corporations, MDAs that are on that CONPSS. CONPSS is the salary scale for civil servants.

    “We put a percentage for the President to approve, we have approved it at our own committee level. We said it should take effect from January 1, 2023.”

    Ngige urges administration of President-elect, Tinubu to review minimum wage
    Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige

    While noting that the economic reality of the country had led to the decision of salary increment for civil servants, Ngige however, lauded the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which he said had achieved some “sound benefits.”

    Although, he categorically stated that the policy was not “smooth in its implementation,” he said it had greatly reduced insecurity as bandits and kidnappers are currently on “holiday” as a result of the cash crunch, adding that the policy helped in curbing vote-buying during the just-concluded elections across the country.

  • 2023: PDP guber candidate promises N100,000 minimum wage

    2023: PDP guber candidate promises N100,000 minimum wage

    The Governorship Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara, Mallam Abdullahi Yaman, has promised to pay N100,000 as minimum wage for workers, if elected in the upcoming genaral election.

    Yaman made the pledge on Wednesday during the Gubernatorial Candidates Debate organised by the Joint Kwara Labour Congress held at the Teachers Hall, Asa Dam road, Ilorin.

    He said the current N30,000 minimum wage is not enough to take care of basic needs of Kwarans who deserved improved salary.

    “Kwara workers deserve a better pay. I will ensure they earn N100,000 minimum wage for a better life,” he said.

    The PDP gubernatorial candidate also assured workers and people of Kwara quality education and provision of modern health facilities.

    He also promised to transform the state to a centre of commercial hub where economy will boom to affect the lives of residents.

    Besides, Yaman said pensioners welfare would be goven priority consideration, adding that every pensioner will undergo business training prior to their retirement age.

    On his part, the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Basambo Abubakar, promised to empower youths and ensure a better future for them.

    Abubakar pledged to drive Kwara towards agricultural revolution with full mechanisation.

    “My targets are youths and Kwara workers. Labour Party will make Kwarans smile again. We want our youths to be self dependent,” he said.

    Mr Salman Magaji, the candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), promised to ensure a fully secured environment in Kwara.

    He also pledged to make the state more attractive and save for investors to strive.

    “Kwara under my watch, will become a commercial/industrial hub that will attract enough investors to patronise the state,” he promised.

    On his part, the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Prof. Shuaib Abdulraheem-Oba, promised a functional administrative local government system in the state.

    He emphasised the need for functional local government system for people at the grassroots to enjoy dividends of democracy.

    “We need functional local government to operate a bold economy in the state. I will focus on how to improve our local government system,” he said.

  • Minimum wage review to commence January 23 – FG

    Minimum wage review to commence January 23 – FG

    The federal government of Nigeria has slated January 23 to commence the process of review of the Nationa Minimum Wage in Nigeria.

    This was made known by Emmanuel Njoku, spokesperson National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

    Njoku said they decided to review the national minimum wage after holding series of training and meetings in preparation for nationwide monitoring of the act.

    According to Njoku, he said; “The exercise will enlighten the public and private employers and organisations on the economic benefits of adhering to the payment of the national minimum wage.

    “It will also help in obtaining baseline data on remuneration policies and practices of private sector organisations to enrich the commission’s data bank on staff compensation.

    “The monitoring exercise will cover the 36 states of the federation including the federal capital territory.”