The Federal Government has said that private employers who pay less than the N70,000 approved as National Minimum Wage stand the risk of going to jail.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, revealed the position of the government on Wednesday in Lagos.
Daju spoke at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria.
Represented at the event by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, she said: “The minimum wage is now a law.
“And as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.
“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage.
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“The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000.
“And I think that should be after all deductions.
“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it.
“The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”
The President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, sought clarification from the Federal Government and Nigeria Labour Congress on whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, adding that all ambiguities in the Act should be highlighted and explained.
Okoye said: “As a labour union in the private sector, we are committed to the implementation of the minimum wage. We are a law-abiding and guided association.
“Our principals and clients have also keyed into the minimum wage.
“However, the government must clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross.
The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage.”
