By Baron Ike
Federal Government workers are to be paid the new minimum wage of N30,000 effective from April 18, 2019 when it was approved. That is the good news.
But the ugly news is that workers in the employ of the state government and probably private sector employees may have to wait for some time depending on the capacity of their employers to pay.
At the special edition of the federal executive council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, the federal government committed itself to paying the arrears of the minimum wage from April 18 2019 when it was signed into law.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) directed the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to ensure the payment of the new minimum wage on or before Tuesday, December, 31.
Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, at the end of FEC meeting communicated the decision of the federal government to the media.
Labour and the federal government reached agreement of the payment that would cut across all strata of workers in the employment of the federal government on Monday.
Until recently, both government and labour were going back and forth on the category of persons to get paid the new salary structure.
President Muhammadu Buhai had approved the new minimum wage ahead of the 2019 presidential elections. It was seen as a political masterstroke.
At the FEC meeting, it became a deal that the federal government must begin to pay labour the agreed sum with effect from April.
Though some State Governors have expressed unwillingness to pay the arrears, governors of Rivers, Delta, Lagos and Kaduna States have shown willingness to queue into the federal government pay plan.