The Federal Government has called on employers in the private sector to adhere strictly to the N70,000 minimum wage sternly warning that any deviation from that would attract jail penalty.
According to the FG, ” new minimum wage is necessary to address the current harsh economic reality, stressing that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage”.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Kachollom Daju, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.
Daju, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, said, “The minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.
“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.
“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”
the President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo in his remarks asked the government and Nigeria Labour Congress to be clear whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, stating that all ambiguities in the Act should be highlighted and explained.
According to Ogunlowo, the EAPEAN is already committed to the minimum wage, as well as providing decent jobs for Nigerians and guarding against the exploitation of human resources.
“As a labour union in the private sector, we are committed to the implementation of the minimum wage. We are a law-abiding and guided association. Our principals and clients have also keyed into the minimum wage.
“However, the government must clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross. The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage,” he stated.
Speaking during the programme, the Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Funmilayo Sessi, said the prevailing economic hardship had made a mess of whatever income any worker was earning in Nigeria, calling on private employers to ensure the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.
According to her “The N70,000 isn’t enough in the current economic realities. By the time the consequential adjustment is concluded, all private employment agencies should immediately start paying their workers the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The NLC in Lagos State will see to the strict enforcement of the minimum wage. EAPEAN should therefore avoid any form of confrontation with the NLC on the minimum wage.”
