Why implementation of new minimum wage is delayed in Akwa Ibom —- Official

Akwa Ibom State Government is waiting for the federal government circular on the consequential adjustment for implementing the new minimum wage, the Head of Civil Service in the state, Effiong Essien, has said.

After months of failed discussions, last month, the Organised Labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the federal government agreed on N70,000 as a new minimum wage.

Following the agreement, the National Assembly amended the Minimum Wage Act, which was subsequently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

Besides the over 100 per cent increase, the new Act has also reduced the life span of minimum wage from five to three years.

Not much has been heard at the sub-national level about the new minimum wage, which replaced the former N30,000 that expired last April, according to the former Act.

Explaining the reason for the delayed implementation of the new minimum wage in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Essien said discussions would commence once the state government received a circular on consequential adjustment from the federal government, Business Day Newspaper reported.

“The state government is still waiting for the circular on the new minimum wage. You know it has a process.

“After the legislation, the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission has to release a circular with consequential benefits.

“So when the states receive that circular that is when the states will also prepare in house towards implementation of the new minimum wage,” Mr Essien said.

When asked if the state government would pay the N70,000 new minimum wage, Mr Essien said Governor Umo Eno would give the directive.

According to Business Day, Governor Eno, while making remarks on Workers Day, 1 May, said that feedback from the federal government would guide the state on the new minimum wage implementation.

We can’t accept anything less than N70,000 – Labour

Meanwhile, the chairperson of NLC in the state, Sunny James, has said that Governor Eno will not complain about being unable to pay the new N70,000 minimum wage.

“There’s no way we can collect anything less than N70,000 as the new minimum wage. We will not accept that. The governor has not also said that he will not pay”, Mr James said.

Mr James, reacting to complaints by some state governors that they would not be able to pay the new minimum wage, told the newspaper that the state government and the Organised Labour would eventually settle for the signed national minimum wage Law for Akwa Ibom workers.

He gave reasons for not starting to engage the state government with the new minimum wage.

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“When there’s new minimum wage legislation, the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission in conjunction with the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress will have to meet and agree on consequential adjustment.

“We have N70,000 new minimum wage, so there has to be consequential adjustment to make the salary table to flow in a seamless manner. If you apply the 133 percentage uniformly, salaries of those on Level 14, and 15 will be very high,” he said.