N70,000 new minimum wage applies to domestic workers — Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that the newly approved minimum wage applies to all workers across both public and private sectors, including maids and other domestic staff.

Akpabio stated this during the plenary session on Tuesday.

The bill was speedily passed by both chambers of the National Assembly just after it was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking during the plenary, the Senate President said, “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay them below N70,000. If you are a mother with a newborn child and you want to hire a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay the person below the approved minimum wage. It is not a maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry.

“If you hire a driver or gateman, you cannot pay them below N70,000. So, I’m very delighted that this has been passed, and we now look forward to employers of labour improving on what has been set as a benchmark for all to follow.

“I congratulate the Nigeria Labour Congress, all Nigerians, and the National Assembly for this epoch-making legislation, which has even reduced the term of negotiations from five years to three years in view of the increasing cost of living. This is, again, a landmark legislation, so congratulations.”

He then adjourned the sitting to 17 September.

The PUNCH reports that the Senate passed the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Act Bill after President Bola Tinubu had transmitted the new wage bill to both chambers of the National Assembly, seeking expeditious support from the lawmakers for its passage.

The new bill replaces the National Minimum Wage Act, No. 8, 2019, which approved a N30,000 minimum wage with five years to negotiate a new wage. The new wage review period has now been reduced to three years following Tuesday’s legislation.

While leading a debate on the bill, the Majority Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, said N70,000 was agreed upon by all the parties after negotiations.

“This is part of the Federal Government’s short-term measure to mitigate the situation in the country,” Bamidele said.