The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, announced on Thursday that the federal government would have to lay off workers to be able to meet a wage bill of N580 billion needed to meet labour’s demand on the new wage.

Mr Ngige told labour leaders in Abuja that the sum was what would be needed by government to pay the consequential adjustments as demanded by labour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister’s announcement is the latest in the increasing drama over payment of the new wage.

A Bill for the New Minimum Wage was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18.

Mr Ngige was speaking when the leadership of the United Labour Congress (ULC), paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

Government and labour have been locked in an endless tussle over modalities for the payment of the new wage, long expected by workers.

Mr Ngige said that federal government was avoiding a situation where it would have to lay off workers, noting that throwing workers into unemployment would add to their burden.

The minister pleaded with labour to accept the consequential adjustment from levels 7 to 17, adding that government had only three months left to implement the new wage.

He stated that government would not promise labour what it could not pay, noting that no worker deserved to be owed salary.

Mr Ngige disclosed that the federal government had so far paid arrears of N500 billion to workers, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

He restated that implementation of the new wage had since commenced for workers on grade level 1 to 6, adding that the development had helped those on the lower cadre in the civil service to move up.

It will be recalled that government had told labour unions that it could only pay 9.5 per cent salary raise for employees on grade levels 07 to14 and five per cent for those on grade levels 15 to17.

But labour is demanding 30 per cent raise for officers on grade levels 07 to 14 and 25 per cent for those on grade levels 15-17.

Public sector workers in Nigeria receive some of the lowest pay cheques in the world, although political office holders receive fat salaries, analysts said.
The President of UCL, Joe Ajaero, appealed for payment of the new wage, stressing that the private sector should also be compelled to pay the N30, 000 minimum wage.

He said there was need to review obsolete laws that were not in tune with present realities, noting that a situation where some private sector employers paid their employees N10, 000 and N15, 000 was unacceptable.

(NAN)

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/355904-minimum-wage-fg-will-retrench-workers-to-meet-n580-bn-wage-bill-ngige.html/

It shall not be well with you all ,so to pay 30k you have to retrench some workers but to pay billions at the legislative arm it's easy....


It's over for this country!

At this Point if there is still a Nigerian that believes in this Next Level bullshit ...then.. ,How much is $86 to pay a month.. how much.. APC has only evil thoughts to people of this great country, the workers to be retrenched. what would they be doing to pay their bills

Ah ah that's not nice , taking away fish from some people's mouth so as to give others chicken doesn't add up.

tyson98:
It shall not be well with you all ,so to pay 30k you have to retrench some workers but to pay billions at the legislative arm it's easy....


It's over for this country!

amen my bro, this is not a government @all

Short goat

Retrenchment to already saturated unemployment

thinking about how I arrived Nigeria.

More suffer loading...

CapitalHYC:
At this Point if there is still a Nigerian that believes in this Next Level bullshit ...then.. ,How much is $86 to pay a month.. how much.. APC has only evil thoughts to people of this great country, the workers to be retrenched. what would they be doing to pay their bills

How much tax do u pay in a month

tyson98:
It shall not be well with you all ,so to pay 30k you have to retrench some workers but to pay billions at the legislative arm it's easy....


It's over for this country!

The money earned by legislative n executive arms can't pau civil servants in a full year
Can't pay civil servants one month salary. ....

Nigeria makes 350bn a good month ...worked used to take 166n ....with 30k minimum wage it would hit 200bn ....for less than 2 million people ...then the rest 178 million people would na share 150bn

Now tell me who is greedy
The funny thing is we expect government to manufacture money ...buhari is messed up but no one can solve Nigerian problem with 350bn in a month

[s]

mrvitalis:

The money earned by legislative n executive arms can't pau civil servants in a full year
Can't pay civil servants one month salary. ....

Nigeria makes 350bn a good month ...worked used to take 166n ....with 30k minimum wage it would hit 200bn ....for less than 2 million people ...then the rest 178 million people would na share 150bn

Now tell me who is greedy
The funny thing is we expect government to manufacture money ...buhari is messed up but no one can solve Nigerian problem with 350bn in a month

[/s]
what about reducing it to meet up the minimum wage
abeg make una no dey support evil

Kingofdemonss:
[s][/s]
what about reducing it to meet up the minimum wage
abeg make una no dey support evil

Where in the world do legislative or federal government earn minimum wage ...u want a director to earn more than a governor ?

mrvitalis:


Where in the world do legislative or federal government earn minimum wage ...u want a director to earn more than a governor ?

I'm not talking about them earning minimum wage
how about slashing their pay and other miscellaneous that follows it

it'll help too

no dey support evil

Kingofdemonss:
I'm not talking about them earning minimum wage
how about slashing their pay and other miscellaneous that follows it

it'll help too

no dey support evil

The effect would he negligible ...

CapitalHYC:
At this Point if there is still a Nigerian that believes in this Next Level bullshit ...then.. ,How much is $86 to pay a month.. how much.. APC has only evil thoughts to people of this great country, the workers to be retrenched. what would they be doing to pay their bills

don't bring political parties into this because they are all the same. How many PDP governed states have started implementing the new minimum wage? By law, they don't need to wait for the federal govt to start implementation before they can start theirs. States like Rivers, delta, bayelsa, akwa-ibom don't have to wait for anybody because of their huge resources but they are still waiting. Most Nigerian politicians are heartless,greedy and wicked irrespective of political parties and religion.

This new minimum wage Na real headache to FG.

They are planning to increase Tax/ Vat
They are proposing nationwide toll gates
Now ,retrenchment of workers?

The person Nigeria offended wicked gan ooo

Mr Ngige said that federal government was avoiding a situation where it would have to lay off workers, noting that throwing workers into unemployment would add to their burden.

The bolded statement above was what the minister said, and not "FG Will Retrench Workers To Meet N580 Bn Wage Bill" the op gave as the headline here. Even my mother in the village will understand that the headline was a distorted fact.

Na their way be that,when they don't want to do what the masses are asking for they resolve to threatening them.
Why not retrenched your S.A and reduce your take home money They don't have serious plans for us only paper talks.

Federal govt oo, APC oo,ingige oo buhari oo,all of them are mad

Cut down govt expenditure,cut down senator's salaries,their outrageous allowances,cut down their special advisers,their Entourage...in fact cut down their greasy old wrinkled, grey-haired balls

mrvitalis:

How much tax do u pay in a month

stupid question

Clueless brain.

That's the only solution that came to his mind.