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…Say some of them still pay N18,000, can’t afford N30,000
• As state governors warn committee against setting unrealistic new wage
By Lukman Olabiyi (Lagos), Emma Adeyemi (Lokoja), Tony John (PH), Scholastica Hir (Makurdi), Timothy Olanrewaju (Maiduguri)
The former President Muhammadu Buhari administration announced a minimum wage of N30,000 in April 2019, up from the old N18,000 wage.
But when President Bola Tinubu came to office on May 29, last year and abolished the fuel subsidy regime, the Nigerian economy tumbled, throwing severe hardship on Nigerians. As part efforts made to cushion the effects of rising hardship, President Tinubu announced a N35,000 wage award, which was expected to commence on September 1, last year. But while some of the civil servants got the award for few months, many did not receive anything.
However, to give the workers a new minimun wage, the Federal Government set up a 37-man National Minimum Wage Committee chaired by former Head of Service of the Federation, Goni Aji. The committee had as terms of reference to consult all stakeholders on the issue of national minimum wage and recommend a realistic and pratical national wage to the government.
As the committee begins its task, the state governors, some of them struggling to pay the existing N30,000 minimum wage, have warned against the high wages put forward by Labour in many states, saying that some of the demands are way above the capacities of the states.
Already, some state governments are not paying the approved N30,000 minimum wage to the workers.
At the very best, some states have only raised the stakes by paying their workers’ salaries a little above the old N18,000 mark. Then after that, nothing else has happened.
Therefore, the situation is not one that is giving the Nigerian worker any hope in the new wage assignment given to the Aji committee.
Looking at the demand for N100,000 new minimum wage by labour to cushion the effects of galloping inflation, some workers reasoned that the demand may be unrealistic as some states might not be able to pay going by the experience they had with them in the payment of the N30,000 minimum wage.
Therefore, some of the workers are saying that it is better to push for schemes that will improve workers’ welfare on the long run.
In this report, we bring to you the experience and feelings of civil servants in states on minimum wage.
Kogi govt can’t afford N100,000 – Workers
Civil servants in Kogi State have said that the current demand by the national leadership of organised labour for a minimum wage of N150,000 may be unrealistic.
However, they said that since the state is now oil-producing, it can conveniently pay ₦100,000 minimum wage to its workers.
The workers who spoke to Sunday Sun lamented that they were suffering because of the current hyper inflation in the country, which has seen prices of commodities shooting beyond 400 per cent.
They also requested that in addition to implementing the ₦100,000 minimum wage, the state government should make deliberate policies that would reduce the hardships of workers such as providing buses for transportation at reduced fares, and paying the wage benefit of ₦35,000 that the Federal Government is paying its staff.
The majority of the civil servants who pleaded anonymity said that if the large chunk of money the state government receives monthly from the federation account, especially after the subsidy removal, was being well managed, the suffering of the workers would be reduced.
A level-14 civil servant who preferred to be identified as Alhaji Sanni said that though the state government claimed it was paying the N30,000 minimum wage, it was being done in a haphazard manner that has no benefit to the overall workers’ welfare.
According to him, the ₦30,000 minimum wage is only beneficial to levels 1-3 workers, which he said are less than two per cent of the total workforce in the state, adding that, that had no direct impact on 98 per cent of workers in the state. He stressed that some workers were given between ₦2,000 and ₦4,000 increment depending on their grade level.
The immediate past state Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Ranti Ojo, said that he was of the view that the state government could pay at least ₦100,000 minimum wage to its workers if the political will was there.
He said that considering the high level of inflation and cost of transportation, salaries of workers are no longer useful to them, adding that there was a need for the federal, and state governments and the private sector to sit down with the organised labour to arrive at a minimum wage acceptable to the workers.
Comrade Ojo said that if the Kogi State government which was receiving between N2-3 billion monthly allocations was now receiving between N8-10 billion, it should be able to pay at least N100,000 minimum wage and provide other incentives like subsidised transportation that would cushion the impact of the sufferings of workers in the state.
We’re receiving N22,000 as minimum wage – Rivers workers
In Rivers State, civil servants said that they receive N22,000 and not N30,000 monthly as minimum wage.
Checks by Sunday Sun also revealed that the wage award approved by the Federal Government has not been implemented by the state government.
Some of the senior civil servants, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs, said that it was unfortunate that Rivers State is among the states that are not implementing the new minimum wage and award by President Bola Tinubu .
Sunday Sun gathered that when the incumbent government met with the organised labour, the former told the latter that the issue of minimum wage should not be discussed till after the review of the scheme by the Federal Government.
But some civil servants in the state said that their main concern is regular salaries, not minding whether it would later be increased on not.
However, one of the civil servants, a unionist identified as Samuel said that the workers were bothered about the implementation of the minimum wage in the state.
He said: “By their own practice, the government said that they were paying us N30,000 minimum wage. But, what we are receiving now is less than N30,000.
“What the last administration paid was not N30,000, but N18,000 as minimum wage. So far, we are receiving less than N30,000 as minimum wage. So, what we are taking home now is N22,000 as minimum wage and not N30,000.”
Our source described the recent Labour’s minimum wage demand as a regional issue.
He added that the amount would rather create more labour unrest.
“I describe it as regional because it is not unified. For instance, what is paid here in our state is different from what other state governments are paying as minimum wage. Our minimum wage is far higher than those of Abia and Imo states, for instance.
“To me, the issue of N950,000 is not the problem. It cannot be the solution. Rather, it would continue to create labour unrest. We need to be realistic. We don’t need to be giving that bogus figure whereas in practice, the government cannot pay.
“The problem in Nigeria is not even minimum wage. Rather, let there be uniform standard that will be commensurate with what our counterparts in the private sector receive.”
Another civil servant working in the state health sector, Mrs Margaret (surname withheld), said that workers in the state wanted Labour to come up with a realistic figure, and not something bogus and unrealistic.
The workers alleged that in Rivers, there is no active labour force because both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress ( TUC) chairmen are not civil servants; they are from the private sector.
According to Evaristus Chuku, also a civil servant, “the NLC and TUC chairmen are from the private sector. They don’t feel the negative impact of the economy we are feeling. We are living by the grace of God. They can’t protect our interest.
“Rivers’ workers have not received N30,000 minimum wage. What we are receiving now is N22,000 as minimum wage; even the said wage award has not been implemented.”
Lagos can pay improved wages, workers
Meanwhile, Lagos State workers said that they welcomed the idea of further increment of their salaries.
According to them, the said increment is possible if the state government decides to implement it.
A worker in the health ministry, who preferred to be anonymous said: “Considering the level of inflation in the country now, no amount of money paid to a worker is too much.”
Another worker identified as Ola said: “What we are getting now is commendable. But there is nothing wrong in Labour pushing for a higher pay for the workers.
“The state government has what it takes to do better than what it is doing now if the workers can agree with it to pay N100,000 as minimum wage.”
Both workers agreed that the N1million wage said to have been demanded by Labour at the centre was ridiculous, adding that no government would be able to even pay N100,000.
They commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his effort so far with regard to public servants welfare, urging him to implement a subsidised transport scheme for the workers.
It would be recalled that on January 1, 2023, the governor increased the salaries of workers in the state by 20 per cent, shortly after he secured a second term in office.
Those affected by the increment were officers in the mainstream public service, local governments and local council development areas, and the State Universal Basic Education Board.
We are still receiving N18,000 in Benue, workers lament
In Benue State, workers are still being paid N18,000 as minimum wage.
According to the union leaders, the immediate past administration of Governor Samuel Ortom was negotiating an increase with labour, but was not able to implement the N30,000 minimum wage until it exited.
They said so far, Governor Hyacinth Alia had been paying salaries, but had not been able to implement the N30,000 minimum wage.
The Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Benue State, Comrade Levi Akuma, admitted that the state government was yet to implement the new N30,000 minimum wage.
He said that the struggle to get the government implement the wage started during the Ortom regime, adding: “A committee was set up, but till now, nothing has been done.
“We respect Governor Alia a lot because he is trying his best.
“We have not started negotiations with him; another minimum wage is here again. So for now, we are not paid the minimum wage.
“Workers are still collecting the old N18,000 as minimum wage.
“Benue workers have been very understanding. But the hardship is too much; things are very expensive now; but workers in the state have been managing. As it stands, even the N30,000 minimum wage is nothing.
“So, I’m appealing to the government to look into our situation. It is not good for us to remain where we are. It’s an ugly situation. We go to the same market like everyone else; our children go to the same schools, and if you are giving us a token, what is that to our families?
“Government should improve on our payment to boost our morale at work. If we are given N100,000 as minimum wage, that won’t be bad because we are really suffering.”
The Chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Terungwa Igbe, also confirmed that workers in the state had not yet started receiving the N30,000 minimum wage.
He declared his support for the new wage demand by labour, saying that workers deserve to be paid handsomely to help them cushion the economic challenges bedeviling the country.
He said that workers in Benue State like their counterparts everywhere in the country are facing serious economic challenges and there was a need to make improvements on their take home package.
Igbe who commended Governor Alia for his efforts at paying salaries on 25th of the month, further called on him to implement the new wage demand.
“We want him to look at the plight of the workers. Though he is paying salaries on every 25th of the month, the take home no longer has value because of the increase in the pump price, sharp food prices and the general hardship in the country.
“We have a committee which is discussing the issues and also discussing the arrears owed workers; but we are appealing to the governor to also increase our salaries,” he said.
Some workers: Sunday Adobe, Grace Yila and Abutu Godwin, who spoke to Sunday Sun, said that they were in support of Labour’s new minimum wage demand.
According to them, Nigeria is rich and can afford to pay workers more that what they are receiving at the moment.
“The only problem our leaders have is the political will to do the right thing when it comes to the masses.
“When they are to pay the big men, the money will be available, but when they are to pay the poor masses – workers and especially teachers, lecturers among others – we will call meetings upon meetings and nothing will happen in the end.
“What is N30,000 compared to the price of things now? We should not even be talking about that one. We should listen to Labour and see how we can up workers’ wages. We all live in this country,” Sunday Adobe said.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Michael Oglegba, said that the government had implemented several options to enhance workers’ salaries, but added that it was yet to implement the approved N30,000 minimum wage.
He said that the approval was made by the last administration, noting: “It was a system we inherited, but the government of Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, is working with what is available to us for now.”
He disclosed that Benue State recently inaugurated the minimum wage committee made up of all the relevant arms of government: Ministry of Finance, the Head of Service, Secretary to the State Government, SUBEB, local government leaders, as well as the Organised Labour. The committee was given three weeks to complete and submit its report.
The committee, he said, would look at the minimum wage, weigh all the options vis-a-vis the available resources and advise the government appropriately.
The finance commissioner, who noted that the issues had gone beyond the minimum wage, said what was approved before was no longer tenable.
While stating that the state was discussing with Labour over salary arrears owed to civil servants, Oglegba said: “The committee is working out the possibility of paying those salary arrears owed workers as well as the new minimum wage.”
He remarked that no other state in the country was owing the kind of money Benue was owing civil servants, which the governor inherited, assuring that plans were underway to pay them off.
We’re only asking for living wage, Borno NLC chair
The Chairman of Borno State chapter of NLC, Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, said that what Labour is asking for is a living wage for workers rather than focusing on the minimum wage.
“Ours in Borno State is to advocate for a living wage, not just minimum wage. Thankfully, the government has promised to discuss with us on this,” he told Sunday Sun.
Negotiations on the vexed minimum wage issue have not begun fully in the state, but the NLC is working to harmonise its position with those of other states in the Northeast, the labour leader revealed.
Sunday Sun recalled that the NLC in collaboration with the federal and state governments, held public hearings across the six geopolitical zones to discuss and collate views on the workable way of implementing the new national minimum wage.
The Northeast zone was held in Yola, Adamawa State two weeks ago.
At the meeting, two states agreed to pay N60,000 as new minimum wage while two others supported the recommendation of N40,000 as their minimum wage as against the current N30,000. Borno and one other state are yet to decide on that, Sunday Sun learnt.
Inuwa said that Borno was yet to agree on the specific amount until a full-scale discussion was held, and agreement reached between the state chapter of the NLC and state governor.
“We will only harmonise our positions at the Yola public hearing,” he told Sunday Sun, maintaining that the workers’ union in the state was seeking a living wage, not just minimum wage.
The state government could not be reached for comment on its position, but some workers said that they expect at least N60,000 as minimum wage.
“We expect at least N60,000 as the minimum wage. This is fair considering the current economic realities in the country,” said Moh’d Saleh, a middle-cadre worker.
