Bauchi agrees to pay N30,000 minimum wage

After weeks of tensed negotiation between Bauchi State Government and the organized labour over the new minimum wage, the State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has approved with immediate effect payment of N30, 000 as the minimum wage in the state effective 1st January 2020.

The approval of the minimum wage was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alh. Sabiu Baba Mohammed copies of which were made available to newsmen late Tuesday evening.

The statement further contained that the Governor agreed that the government will pay the minimum wage for all categories of workers who are from salary grade levels 1 to 7.

But in a swift reaction earlier in the day, the Organized Labour in the state had issued a terse press statement expressing its disagreement on the government’s refusal to consider workers above level 7 in the state in the implementation of the approved minimum wage.

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In the statement signed by the Chairman of the State Joint Public Service Negotiation Council (JPSNC), Comrade Abdullahi Ibrahim said that labour unions in the state could not resolve pending issues on consequential adjustment in the approved minimum wage.

The statement further contained that both the government and the organized labour have not resolved their differences on the matter because according to the organized labour, the bone of contention was on the consequential adjustment of the salaries of officers on Grade Levels 7 and above, pointing out that what the government is offering did not meet expectations of labour.

It is not clear what the position will be now that the government has given approval for the implementation of N30, 000 as minimum wage while the organized labour is kicking.