Why Minimum Wage Implementation May Be Delayed

The implementation of the new National Minimum Wage signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari has been hit by some bottlenecks.

Officials of some state governments told PUNCH that they had yet to receive the documents containing the implementation guidelines from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, almost 10 days after the wage bill was signed into law.

The development is said to be hindering the commencement of negotiations between officials of state governments and the organised labour in the various states.

However, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had on Thursday said it was still awaiting the Presidency to release a copy of the Act to enable it to prepare the memo for state governments.

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Emma Njoku, said that a signed copy of the Act was still being expected by the commission.

He said once the new minimum wage act was received from the presidency, the commission would issue a circular for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

But President Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu said what was most important was that Buhari had directed that the implementation of the new wage should start from April.