New National Minimum Wage: Fresh Battle Looms in States

• One of the promises the federal government made to pacify organised labour was that they would pay arrears of the new minimum wage
• The government also promised to encourage state governors to ensure the new minimum wage takes off across the country as soon as possible
• Amid the deliberations, it has emerged that a fresh battle looms over the new minimum wage arrears

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering public affairs and governance.

Katsina, Katsina state - As workers insist there is a need to adjust their salaries taking into consideration the consequential effect of the new minimum wage, state civil servants in Nigeria have shifted attention to the payment of the arrears.

Legit.ng recalls that the Minimum Wage Act took effect in July following the signing of the bill by President Bola Tinubu on the 29th of that month.

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Minimum wage: List of states yet to approve new salary for workers

The new monthly minimum wage was raised by 133% from 30,000 to 70,000, amid the economic hardship eroding millions of Nigerians’ purchasing power.

Negotiations between the federal and state governments, organised labour, and the private sector took some time, and when all was over, state governors asked that they be given till the end of October to enable them to put their finances in order.

Subsequently, about 20 states revealed their implementation of the new wage law, which sees them pay N70,000 approved by the FG.

The states are Bayelsa, Niger, Lagos, Rivers, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Kebbi, Ondo, Jigawa, Gombe, Kogi, Ogun, among others.

A report by The Nation on Sunday, November 10, disclosed a fresh battle was looming over the arrears.

According to the media platform, several states are already looking forward to receiving arrears of the new minimum wage as state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are currently in negotiations over its payment.

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Minimum wage: Jubilation as Borno primary school teachers receive N70,000 salary alert

Read more on minimum wage:

• Minimum wage: List of states where workers will start getting big alerts in November
• Minimum wage: Oyo governor Makinde approves N80,000 salary for workers
• Kaduna governor approves new minimum wage for workers

Minimum wage: Gombe rules out arrears payment

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Gombe state government said it does not have money for salary arrears.

The government argued that at the time the federal government made its announcement, the circular to work with was absent.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng