Yemi Obafemi
The Nigeria labour congress in Lagos has said it will see to the strict enforcement of the N70,000 minimum wage in the state.
The Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State Council, Funmilayo Sessi disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.
She urges private employers to pay the N70,000 minimum wage, citing the current economic hardship that’s severely impacting workers’ incomes in Nigeria. She emphasized that even N70,000 isn’t sufficient in today’s economic reality, but it’s a necessary step.
She said, “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.”
Also at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, said no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.
Abubakar who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, mandated private sector recruitment agencies to adhere to the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage, Saying any deviation from this will not be tolerated.
He 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.”
