Jobs

PDP Urges Labour to Demand N120,000 Minimum Wage Amidst Strike Standoff

Published

4 months ago

June 4, 2024

The ongoing nationwide strike led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has taken a new turn as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) advises organized labour not to settle for anything less than a N120,000 minimum wage.

This call comes amidst the Federal Government’s current offer of N60,000, which the labour unions have already rejected in favour of their initial demand of N494,000.

On Monday, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he termed as insincere negotiations with labour leaders.

He argued that the Federal Government’s claim of insufficient funds to meet the N120,000 demand was hypocritical, given its alleged extravagant spending on other projects.

“The back and forth with the labour leaders is hypocritical of the government,” Abdullahi said.

“They didn’t mean well for Nigerians from the word go, even when they started engaging the NLC. It was not an intended policy direction. It was something that was made as a smokescreen to continue to deceive the Nigerian workers and, of course, the nation.”

Abdullahi further criticized the government’s spending priorities, citing expensive infrastructure projects and international trips for officials as evidence that funds could be reallocated to support a higher minimum wage.

“If they can afford to construct a road for N3 trillion, if they can afford to do all this jamboree, if they can afford to take 1,500 government officials out of this country for things that are not important, then I don’t know why, for crying out loud, they should not be able to pay a reasonable minimum wage,” he stated.

The PDP’s stance has intensified the political debate surrounding the strike, which has already caused significant disruptions across the country.

Government offices, airports, schools, and hospitals have been paralyzed, with electricity and water supply severely affected.

Responding to the PDP’s comments, APC Publicity Director Bala Ibrahim accused the opposition of exploiting the situation for political gain and labelled their advice as unpatriotic.

“The PDP is gradually turning into something that will one day question the integrity of the Constitution of Nigeria,” Ibrahim said.

He argued that the PDP’s position stemmed from bitterness over losing the recent elections, and that if the PDP had won, there would be no wages at all.

Ibrahim acknowledged the economic hardship faced by Nigerians but described the NLC and TUC’s demand for N494,000 as unreasonable.

He called for a more balanced approach in negotiations, taking into account the broader population.

“The labour union should engage their sense of reason in negotiation. They should engage their conscience, patriotism, justice, and fairness in negotiation,” he stated.

“While they are negotiating for the workers who are less than 20 percent of the population, they should also have feelings for the remaining 80 percent of Nigerians who go to the same market with these workers, who have no one to pay them anything, and who are struggling to make ends meet.”

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Jobs

FG Approves Disbursement of N70,000 Minimum Wage for Nigerian Workers

Published

1 day ago

September 27, 2024

Bassey Marshall

The Nigerian government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu has approved the payment of the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage to workers in the country.

The latest development was made known by the Spokesperson of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa on Thursday.

However, Mokwa who confirmed that payment will commence on Thursday, September 26, 2024, expressed uncertainty over the minimum wage arrears.

Mokwa said, “Federal Government civil servants will start getting the new minimum wage from today (Thursday) this September 2024. What I can tell you is that the minimum wage salary payment is today I am not sure of the arrears.”

The latest development comes hours after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) secured a 133.33 percent increase for corps members.

Investors King reported that the increase was in line with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024 by the President Bola Tinubu-led government.

The NYSC also revealed that the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, confirmed the upward review of consolidated public service salary structure, CONPSS in line with the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024.

Jobs

Unemployment in Nigeria Rises to 5.3% in Q1 2024

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2024

Yetunde Olugbenga

The Nigerian unemployment rate increased to 5.3 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 from 5.0 percent reported in 2023.

However, the report showed that the unemployment rate among youths decreased to 8.4% in Q1 2024 from 8.6% reported in Q3 2023.

In the same vein, there was a 0.7% increase in the engagement of youths in employment, education, and training.

“The percentage of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET Rate) was 14.4, indicating a 0.7 percentage point increase from Q3 2023,” the report revealed.

The report further revealed that females recorded a higher unemployment rate of 6.2 percent compared to males at 4.3 percent.

In terms of employees’ availability for additional hours of work, there was a decline from 12.3 percent in Q3 2023 to 10.6 percent in Q1 2024.

It was also reported that despite this improvement, self-employment remains dominant, with 84% of Nigeria’s labor force engaged in self-employment as against 86% in Q1 2023.

Focusing on environmental metrics, the report revealed that the unemployment rate in urban areas remained unchanged at 6.0 percent, while rural unemployment stood at 4.3 percent, with 91.9 percent of workers in rural areas being self-employed, compared to 78.2 percent in urban regions.

In addition, 82.5% of the labor force in rural areas and 74 percent in urban areas were actively participating in the workforce.

However, by gender, male participation stood at 77.5 percent, while female participation was slightly lower at 77.1 percent.

“Disaggregation by place of residence shows 82.5 percent in rural and 74.0 percent in urban areas. The participation rate among males was 77.5 percent and 77.1 percent for females,” the report read.

Furthermore, the report revealed that the labor force participation rate among the working-age population declined to 77.3 percent in Q1 2024 from 79.5 percent in Q3 2023.

Jobs

FG Warns Private Sector Against Paying Below ₦70,000 Minimum Wage, Says It Is A Punishable Crime

Published

1 week ago

September 19, 2024

Bassey Marshall

The Federal Government has insisted that no Nigerian worker, either in the government or private sector, should earn less than the approved ₦70,000 minimum wage.

This update was shared by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Daju was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali.

The government warned that those who choose to ignore the directive are disobeying the law, and can be jailed for it.

The FG reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the least paid worker goes up with ₦70,000 as salary every month.

His words: “The minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than ₦70,000 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 ₦70,000, 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 ₦70,000.”

The President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, also gave a speech at the event.

He called on the government to highlight all ambiguities in the Act and explain it to them.

Notably, he wants the government to clarify whether the new minimum wage is net or gross.

“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 ₦70,000 minimum wage is net or gross. The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage,” he stated.