Lagos approves N35,000 minimum wage for workers

Signs agreement today

Workers in Lagos will begin to receive the new national minimum wage as the State Government has approved the sum of N35,000 for its employees. The payment of the new wage will commence in the November 2019 salary cycle.
  
This was consequent upon series of meetings and discussions held between the state’s Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), and the government, witnessed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC), on payment of the new wage to public sector workers, where necessary terms of settlement and agreement were reached last Friday.
  
However, discussions are yet to begin on the accumulated arrears, which the state promised would begin soon.TUC Secretary, Lagos State, Abiodun Aladetan, who disclosed the outcome of the meeting held behind closed doors, told The Guardian that the agreement reached on the new wage would be signed today (Tuesday).
   
According to him, the Lagos State salaries consequential adjustment /increase would henceforth have Grade Level (GL) 01-06=N35, 000.09; GL. 07=30%; GL. 08-10=25%; GL. 12-14=22.5%; and GL. 15 -17=20%.Payments of allowances peculiar to certain professions/sectors such as Health Workers, Medical Personnel, and Teachers and others embedded in their respective Consolidated Salary Structures (such as CONHESS, CONMESS and CONTISS among others), shall be paid for those stated items (such as Hazard, Call, Shift, etc.) at such rates as provided in the various salaries of government approved in 2011.
   
Recall that the National Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (NJPSNC), and the Federal Government’s Negotiations and Consequential Adjustment of Salaries produced the following figures on Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), has it that GL.01-06=N30, 000, GL. 07=23.2%, GL. 08=20%, GL. 09=19%, GL. 10-14=16%, and GL. 15-17=14%.
   
On the accumulated arrears, Aladetan said: “We are yet to discuss the modalities for the payment of arrears, because it has accumulated to billions of naira based on the new percentage we agreed last Friday. But the government assured us as a union that the discussion will start soon. We are yet to sign any agreement. That will be done today.”