Minimum Wage Compliance: Labour Issues March Ultimatum to Defaulters

According to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), strict measures are in place to ensure that states and other companies implement the national minimum wage and the associated adjustment by the end of March.

Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), said this during the union’s National Administrative Committee members’ one-day National Leadership Retreat on Wednesday in Abuja.

“Leadership Challenges among Activists” was the theme of the retreat.

The measures were required since states and institutions were continuously postponing their efforts to affect salary payments, according to Ibrahim, the National Internal Auditor for the NLC.

He asserts that one of the issues with the implementation of the minimum wage is dishonesty.

“Once the national minimum wage was passed into law, payments ought to have begun all over the country.

Also Read: GHL v. FirstBank: Court Overturns Mareva’s Injunction, Denies Obaigbena’s Request to Drop Case

However, in most countries and organizations, they only establish a minimum wage, a sum of money that they use to manipulate workers.

Nonetheless, I am happy that we have been in contact and that the NLC is aggressively investigating this matter.

I can assure you, though, that we are taking very stringent measures to ensure that the minimum wage and any associated changes are implemented before the end of this first quarter.

“Any state or labor employer who fails to appropriately adjust workers’ salaries and apply the national minimum wage will face consequences.

“We have everything we need to enforce our rights against those employers, and the labor laws are in place,” he said.

Regarding the retreat’s subject, Ibrahim asserted that several attendees weakened strike attempts, reducing their effectiveness.

Regretfully, some of our own members are against our collective battle. They employ extortion and dishonest measures to prevent strike actions.

But this is not exclusive to SSANU; it happens in many sectors. Part of the reason we are holding this retreat is to teach our members the importance of unity and discipline inside the union,” he said.

Ibrahim also admitted that the decrease in the efficacy of industrial actions was due to government disinterest and worker fatigue.

“Strikes are still a last resort,” he added, adding that the union will explore other negotiation options.

He underlined the need for continued training for university staff members and better support for postsecondary institutions.

But according to the SSANU president, universities must remain centers of study and innovation, which calls for constant staff capacity building.

We have an obligation as the leaders of this great union to ensure that our national executives are informed on the latest global developments.

SSANU has benefited from international training programs as an associate of NLC.

He said, “It is crucial that we share this knowledge at all levels and bring it back home.”

Read Also: GHL vs FirstBank: Court Overturns Mareva Injunction, Rules Against Obaigbena’s Request

Attending the retreat are Mr. Rotimi Mathew, Director-General of the Institute of Mentoring and Coaching, former NLC President Ayuba Wabba, and former SSANU President Chief Promise Adeusi.