Kwara government, labour sign minimum wage deal

The Kwara State Government has signed the N30,000 minimum wage agreement with the labour unions in the state for workers in levels 1 to 6.

The government and labour unions in the state had been on a protracted negotiation over the matter over a disagreement in the consequential adjustment.

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The agreement holds that the consequential adjustment would be implemented “as would be agreed upon by the minimum wage committee” amid ongoing negotiations between the two parties.

The labour’s delegation was led by Kwara’s Nigeria Labour Congress’ chairman, Comrade Issa Ore, while the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, Alhaja Afusat Afolabi, signed the agreement on behalf of the Head of Service/Chairman of the Government’s Minimum Wage Committee.

The brief signing ceremony was witnessed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Senator Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe; and other government officials, including the Commissioner for Finance, Florence Olasumbo Oyeyemi.

“The effective date for the 1st phase of the new minimum wage implementation covering grade level 01-06 shall be the 1st day of February 2021.

“All due processes of promotion for workers in the state public service shall be concluded on or before their due dates and annual salary increment shall be implemented for workers as and when due in accordance to their condition of service.

“Pensions shall also be reviewed upward in the state based on the percentage agreed upon by the Minimum Wage Committee when consequential adjustment is being considered.

“The implementation of PAYE shall be maintained in line with the existing tax law”, the agreement added.

The governor thanked the labour union for their understanding, adding that the government remained committed to the welfare of the people, including the civil servants who are the engine room of public service delivery.

Speaking with Daily Trust over the development, the NLC chairman, Isa Ore, said he had the mandate of the workers to conclude work on the signing of the new minimum wage for the junior cadres, adding that negotiation was still ongoing on the consequential adjustment component.

“Before, the government decide to implement the new minimum wage for the junior cadres without signing any agreement with labour which we kicked against.

“Then, it was partially implemented as the government was paying according to their own purse where workers get N28,000 or N29,000 sometimes as against the law which stipulates N30,000 for the least worker because there was no binding agreement.

“But now that it has been signed and we have a legal document in our hand, we can take them to court if they do otherwise which we believe they won’t do such a thing”, he added.