The Nigerian Government said it will disclose its position on the salary review discussion from 2023.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, stated this on Tuesday during a press briefing with State House correspondents in Abuja.
He noted that the Presidential Committee on Salaries is working hand-in-hand with the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission.
Working on a review: Ngige noted that the Presidential Committee on Salaries is reviewing the current salary scale, as it is mandated by the Act establishing them to fix salaries and wages.
- “Yes, I am saying that the Presidential Committee on Salaries is working hand-in-hand with the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission. The commission is mandated by the Act establishing them to fix salaries, wages, and emoluments in not only the public service.
- “If you want their assistance and you are in the private sector, they will also assist you. They have what is called the template for remuneration, for compensation. As we enter the new year government will make some pronouncements in that direction.”
Discussions ongoing: The Minister added other MDAs are involved in discussions including the Finance Ministry, he said:
- ”So, if you work, you get compensated, if you don’t work, you will not be compensated. So, they have the matrix to do the evaluation. They are working with the Presidential Committee on Salaries chaired by the finance ministry and I am the co-chair to look at the demands of the workers. Outside this, I said discussions on that evaluation are ongoing.”
Year of the industrial dispute: He crowned the year 2022 as the year of industrial dispute, citing the ASUU and Health worker strikes. Ngige described 2022 as a year of “industrial dispute”.
- “It’s a year we can call a year of industrial dispute starting from the February’s Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) strike which was joined by other sister unions in the university system and even the people in the research institutes.
- “And thereafter, threats from various unions including the medical doctors association and its youth wing, the National Association of Resident Doctors, JOHESU which is also the Joint Health Sector Union all were asking for a wage increase.
He noted that asking for wage increases can also be understandable because of what inflation had done in the economy and the attendant cost of living for people who have to be workers in the public sector.
What you should know: Nairametrics reported in September that FG revealed it will adjust the minimum wage of Nigerian workers, disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige
He cited that the 2019 National Minimum Wage Act has a clause which gives the FG the right to review.
The minister also noted that the value of the present N30,000 national minimum wage had depreciated.
- “Yes the inflation has increased worldwide and it is not confined to Nigeria, that is why in many jurisdictions, it is an adjustment of wages right now.
- “We as the Nigerian government shall adjust in confirmative with what is happening in wages.
- “More importantly, the 2019 National Minimum Wage Act, right now has a clause for the review, which we started then, I do not know whether it is due next year or 2024.”
No doubt, salary increase is good for the workforce but it is has al
ways been a curse on the national
economy. The outgoing government should avoid giving a Greek parting gift to the a section of the economy thereby creating banana pill for the incoming administration to lay off staff in the process. I think this government should start preparing it’s handover note, complete ongoing projects and avoid starting new projects that are not of national importance or may not be in tandem with the programmes of the incoming administration. Our eyes have seen the best of Buhari, which obviously is well below average manifesting in economic mismanagement, social disharmony, insecurity, general hardship and pain. The incoming administration has its work already cut out. We must restart again after a disastrous administration.