THE NIGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) has dismissed rumours that the Federal Government has begun payment of N30, 000 minimum wages.
According to the nation online, the Federal Government has started the payment of N30,000 minimum wage with officers on grade levels 01 to 06 on the federal payroll and they were paid the new minimum wage as their August salary.
Nigeria Labour Congress Head of Information, Benson Upah confirmed to The ICIR that he is unaware of the development.
He said there is no way the Federal Government will pay some tier of workers and not pay others and that he is never aware of the development.
Nigeria Civil Service Union Ag. General Secretary, Yahaya Idris Ndako also told The ICIR that he knows nothing about the rumoured payment.
There have been unsuccessful meetings between the Federal Government and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council because of differences in percentage increase in the salaries of workers which made the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita describe the NLC’s demand as “unrealistic”.
Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, General Secretary, Alade Lawal, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after meeting on Monday, September 16, that the organised labour would decide on the next line of action towards the issue of the minimum wage, saying in due time, Nigerians would be informed.
He said the meeting ended in a deadlock and that the “Federal Government officials are not serious about it at all”, saying that they suspect a hidden agenda somewhere.
NAN subsequently reported that that the organised labour had on September 12 issued a 14-day ultimatum that would expire on September 25 to the Federal Government for the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage to reconvene and complete its assignment.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94