We’ll pay arrears of varsity workers’ minimum wage October – Ngige assures

Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed plans to clear the arrears of the consequential adjustment on minimum wage owed the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions by the end of October.

He gave the assurance at the end of a meeting between the FG and the Joint Action Committee of the two unions, convened to examine the level of implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the unions in February, 2021.

Ngige commended the unions for their understanding and maturity in cooperating with the government to resolve the issues, emphasising that the government did not take them for granted.

This was contained in a statement on Friday by the ministry of labour and employment spokesman, Mr Charles Akpan, titled, ‘SSANU/NASU: FG to clear arrears of minimum wage by October end.’

The minister disclosed that the meeting was a continuation of an earlier one held on February 25, 2021 at his instance, and at which agreements were reached on various issues concerning members of the unions.

He stated that the meeting agreed that the payment of the arrears be fast-tracked between now and the end of October, adding that arrears of salary and promotion had been captured in the 2021 Supplementary Budget.

Ngige stated that it was not government’s intention to owe but that the delay was caused by the difficulty in getting the actual number of people qualified for the arrears, “as a lot of people had joined the service from 2020 while the period of the arrears spanned 19th April – 31st December, 2019.’’

On the Earned Allowances for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education staff, Ngige said the JAC would update the National Universities Commission on the outstanding amount owed its members, while the NUC was given two weeks to carry out the appropriate reconciliation.

The statement read, “The meeting agreed to correct the anomalies in the payment of hazard allowance caused by an error in printing, which had seen all members collecting the same sum of money across board, with no distinction between senior and junior.