How non-issuance of adjustment scale stalls 70,000 minimum wage implementation 

Despite President Bola Tinubu signing the new national minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, many states have yet to implement the N70,000 minimum wage.

The delay, according to findings made by Diaspora Digital Media, stems from non-issuance of the consequential adjustment scale by the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

The commission’s delay in releasing the template detailing the pay of every worker from the lowest to the highest ranking officer has slowed down the implementation of the new wage structure.

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman in Delta State, Mr. Goodluck Ofobruku, and his Trade Union (TUC) counterpart, Mr. Martins Bolum, said in Asaba yesterday that this was necessary because labour was yet to receive from Abuja the enabling circular on the issue.

Ofobruku assured workers that they had nothing to fear as the funds for the new minimum wage are already in this year’s budget.

“We asked the government to step down the issue of the new minimum wage until we see the template,” Ofobruku said.

“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.

“If we start with the junior staff, it could lead to discrepancies where a Level 1 Step 1 worker earns ₦70,000 while a Level 5 worker earns ₦100,000, and a Level 8 officer earns less than ₦80,000. This could cause demotivation among workers.”

In Kano State, the committee set up by the government to advise on the process of implementing the new minimum wage is yet to submit its report.

Information Commissioner Baba Dantiye, who is also a member of the committee, said yesterday that the panel still has a lot of ground to cover, citing “so many adjustments to be done based on the data available.”

Chairman of the local NLC, Comrade Kabiru Inuwa, told newsmen that labour was expecting from the NSIWC the consequential adjustment table which would guide it in its negotiations with the state government.

In Kaduna State, NLC Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, said there is not yet in place a basis for negotiation between the state government and the workers.

“The table we have currently is based on the N30,000 minimum wage, and it is the responsibility of the National Salary Income and Wages Commission to determine the new table for the salary structures. It is after the release of that table that states can start negotiating.”

In Bayelsa State, NLC Chairman, Mr. Simon Barnabas, attributed the delay in the take-off of the new minimum wage in the state to the non-issuance of the relevant circular.

“As it is now, we are yet to receive the circular. So, things are just the way they are now. Because of that, implementation has not begun.”

In Ogun State, TUC Chairman, Akeem Lasisi, said labour would commence engagement with the government as soon as it received the appropriate circular from the wages commission.

“We are only waiting for the release of the circular on the new Public Service Salary Structure from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for us to enter into a negotiation with the government on the consequential adjustment of the new wage, across the Grade Levels, from 01 to 17.”

Similar situations exist in Imo, Anambra, Kwara, and Rivers states, where labour leaders are waiting for the federal government template to begin negotiations with state governments.

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