FEDERAL Government has said it will backdate the payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 to July 29, 2024.
This is coming after the Committee on Consequential Adjustments in Salaries for Civil Servants reached an agreement to implement the new minimum wage on July 29, 2024.
This was announced in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) made available to newsmen after the committee’s meeting in Abuja.
According to the MoU, “The NSIWC will generate the appropriate salary templates for other consolidated salary structures for implementation; the effective date of the implementation shall be July 29, 2024.”
The committee, which is made up of 16 members, was constituted by the Federal Government following the National Minimum Wage Act 2024, which increased the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
Part of the committee’s mandate is to negotiate salary adjustments and develop a comprehensive template for the rollout of the new wage.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have strongly condemned the decision of the Federal Government to backdate the implementation of the new minimum wage to July 2024.
The Head of Information for the NLC, Benson Upah, dismissed the decision, saying, “The backdating to July is not fair. It is not acceptable.”
Also, the National Vice President of the TUC, Timmy Etim, expressed disappointment, noting that workers were initially told by the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, during May Day celebrations that the new wage would take effect in May.
“The Minister of State for Labour, during the May Day, said that the payment of the new national minimum wage would take effect from May 1st. I am surprised if they have changed and I don’t know the parameter they used for the change. But it will be unfair for the government to do that taking cognizance of the socio-economic challenges,” he said.
