FEC Gives Finance Minister Directive On Implementation Of New Minimum Wage

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has directed the Minister of Finance to effect payment of the new minimum wage on or before Decmber 2019.

The Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige made the disclosure at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by the Vice Preisdnet at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister also revealed that the Executive Council approved that the minimum wage should take effect from 18 April 2019.

The labour minister in his statement stated that the payment cuts across both the public and private sectors.

Ngige said: “Today (yesterday), we sent to FEC our report and the conciliation that was done last week between Organised Labour and the Federal Government of Nigeria on the issue of the new national minimum wage which has been fixed at N30,000 a month and the consequential adjustment that were meant for salaries and wage structures of the public service thereto.

“You will remember that last week when I briefed the press, I told you that the salaries and wage structure are in four classes — Health, Armed Forces Service, Research Institutes and the Paramilitary.

“So, they have percentage increases in their wage structure and for emphasis, the Grade Level-07 compartment received 23.2 per cent rise; Grade Level 08, 20 per cent; Grade Level 09, 19 per cent; Grade Level 10-14, 16 per cent; and Grade Levels 15 to 17, 14 per cent in the CONPPS which is the pure civil service structure and agencies earning the same wages as those in the public service.

“You have the CONRESS AND CONTISS which is compartmental too. They have 23.2 per cent equivalent and 14-16, 10.5 per cent, Police and other security agencies because they have had a pay rise.

“Last year, they were consequentially adjusted to between four and seven per cent; the same goes for the paramilitary, they also have their consequential pay rise.

“So, FEC today (yesterday) approved for us that the financial implications worked out by the National Incomes and Wages Commission that the salaries adjustment should take effect from April 18, 2019, the day the new national minimum wage Act came into being.