Politics

Minimum Wage Controversy: FG Faces Backlash Over Selective Payments

Published by Tope Fakinlede on October 6th, 2024.

Minimum Wage Controversy: FG Faces Backlash Over Selective Payments

Concerns are growing over what appears to be selective implementation of the new N70,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government, leading to renewed tension among federal public sector employees. Many workers who have yet to receive the payment are expressing frustration over this situation.

Employees from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), including those at federal universities, have voiced their discontent, labeling the government’s actions as insensitive during a time when its policies have already contributed to widespread hardship and hunger.

While officials from the Accountant-General’s office stated that the new minimum wage was included in the September salaries, the Budget Office indicated that a uniform N40,000 was disbursed to all federal workers, a claim that many employees dispute.

President Bola Tinubu officially enacted the N70,000 minimum wage on July 18, 2024, following lengthy negotiations involving representatives from the government, Organized Private Sector (OPS), and labor unions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).

An anonymous employee from an MDA expressed their frustration: “We are completely disillusioned. It feels like the government is indifferent to our plight. The removal of the fuel subsidy has already placed immense burdens on us, and to add insult to injury, the minimum wage that has been law since July is not being implemented.”

They further highlighted disparities in salary adjustments, noting that some core civil service employees have received increases while others have not. “This selective payment is discriminatory and perpetuates economic bondage,” they lamented. Many workers are forced to sleep in their offices or walk long distances to work due to financial constraints, and some are going hungry or skipping meals to cope.

The situation is exacerbated by rising costs of living, including increased petrol prices and electricity tariffs, which have diminished the value of the unimplemented minimum wage. “How are we supposed to survive this crisis?” one worker asked. “Essential goods are becoming more expensive without any government support. It’s cruel and unjust.”

A source from the Budget and National Planning Ministry, speaking anonymously, clarified that the N40,000 payment was intended as a temporary measure to assist federal staff until the official minimum wage framework is finalized. Some federal employees confirmed receiving the extra N40,000 in their September paychecks.

However, a recent explanatory note from the Federal Government regarding the N40,000 payment described it merely as a provisional solution while awaiting the proper implementation of the new minimum wage.