Minimum wage: Labour makes fresh demands from Buhari govt

The Trade Union Congress, TUC, under the umbrella of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has charged the Federal Government to pay five months arrears of the new minimum wage when the payment commences.

TUC said the payment should be backdated to April 18 when President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new minimum wage bill into law.

The new demand was contained in a statement signed by the acting Chairman of the union, Anchaver Simon, and Secretary, Alade Lawal.

It also urged the government to keep to its promise of carrying out a general review of wages of public servants in the country.

“We wish to advise that since the 2019 National Minimum Wage was signed into Law by Mr President on April 18, 2019, the implementation should start from that date so as not to trigger another avoidable round of agitation by public service employees and their trade unions,” he said.

He said the union was glad that the government took note of the need for a general salary review in the public service.

The federal government and the labour unions finally sorted out the issues of consequential adjustment for other categories of workers after three days of meeting which ended early today.

Under the agreement reached, the core civil servants on grade level 7 are to get (23.2 per cent) adjustment; grade level 8 (20 per cent); grade level 9 (19 per cent); grade levels 10 to14 (16 per cent); and grade levels 15 to 17, (14 per cent).