By Emmanuel Adeleke
The Federal Government has urged agencies recruiting for the private sector to adhere to the N70,000 minimum wage, warning that any deviation would not be tolerated.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, gave the warning while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria (EAPEAN), in Lagos, on Wednesday.
According to Daju, the new minimum wage is necessary to address the current economic reality, stressing that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.
Daju, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages in the ministry, John Nyamali, said the minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.
“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.
“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000,” Daju said
In his remarks, the President of the EAPEAN, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, asked government and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, adding that all ambiguities in the act should be highlighted and explained.
According to Ogunlowo, EAPEAN is already committed to the minimum wage, as well as providing decent jobs for Nigerians and guarding against the exploitation of human resources.
“As a labour union in the private sector, we are committed to the implementation of the minimum wage. We are a law-abiding and guided association. Our principals and clients have also keyed into the minimum wage,” Ogunlowo said.
Speaking, the NLC chairperson in Lagos State, Funmilayo Sessi, said the prevailing hardship had made a mess of whatever income any worker was earning in Nigeria, calling on private employers to ensure the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The N70,000 isn’t enough in the current economic realities. By the time the consequential adjustment is concluded, all private employment agencies should immediately start paying their workers the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The NLC in Lagos State will see to the strict enforcement of the minimum wage. EAPEAN should avoid confrontation with the NLC on the minimum wage,” She added.