Lagos govt denies increasing minimum wage
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, yesterday frowned at the non-completion of negotiations on a new minimum wage urging the Federal Government to fast-track action on that.
The TUC President, Festus Osifo, who made the call while briefing journalists after the National Executive Council, of the labour movement, ruled out the possibility of having a new minimum wage in place before the end of May.
TUC also lamented that some states in the Niger Delta region that collect huge sums of money have not paid either the wage awards or palliatives. Besides, TUC noted with dismay that the Federal Government has not paid federal workers the wage award for March and April this year and called for immediate payment of the wage award to cushion the economic hardship.
MEANWHILE, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has clarified the circulating rumours of increasing minimum wage from N35,000 to N70,000. In a statement, it said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been erroneously quoted as saying that a new minimum wage of N70,000 had been announced. This is wrong. Mr. Governor never said so. He said since January, civil servants had been earning the N35,000 wage award directed by the Federal Government.”
” In other words, those earning N35,000 now earn N70,000. He did not announce a new minimum wage of N70,000.”
His words: “I know that by the grace of God very very soon we’ll see a new minimum wage that will be approved for the Federal Government and for the state government. The civil servants and all public officers, they know that since January we have continued to pay the wage allowance of minimum of N35,000 over and above what they were earning before.
