The Federal Government has urged private sector recruitment agencies to comply with the N70,000 minimum wage, warning that any deviation will not be tolerated. The FG emphasized that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than this minimum wage, as the new minimum wage is essential to address the current economic realities.
Kachollom Daju, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, made this statement on Wednesday during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, at Ikeja, Lagos.
Daju, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of 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.”
In his remarks, the President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, asked the government and Nigeria Labour Congress to clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, stating that all ambiguities in the Act should be highlighted and explained.
According to Okoye, the 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.
“However, the government must clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross. The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage,” he stated.
The Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Funmilayo Sessi, while speaking at the programme, said the siginificant hardship has greatly eroded the value of workers’ earnings in Nigeria, prompting a call for private employers to ensure the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.
She stated: “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.”
This article was written by Tamaraebiju Jide, a student at Elizade University
