The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has issued a public service announcement concerning the payment of domestic staff in line with the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage.
Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary, Akpabio explained that the newly approved minimum wage applies to all workers both in the public and private sectors, including maids, drivers, and other domestic staff.
The Senate President said, “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay them below N70,000. If you are a mother with a newborn child and you want to hire a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay the person below the approved minimum wage. It is not a maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry. If you hire a driver or gateman, you cannot pay them below N70,000. So, I’m very delighted that this has been passed, and we now look forward to employers of labour improving on what has been set as a benchmark for all to follow.
“I congratulate the Nigeria Labour Congress, all Nigerians, and the National Assembly for this epoch-making legislation, which has even reduced the term of negotiations from five years to three years in view of the increasing cost of living. This is, again, a landmark legislation, so congratulations.”
News About Nigeria earlier reported that the Senate speedily passed the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Act Bill after President Bola Tinubu had transmitted the new wage bill to both chambers of the National Assembly, seeking expeditious support from the lawmakers for its passage.
The new bill replaces the National Minimum Wage Act, No. 8, 2019, which approved a N30,000 minimum wage with five years to negotiate a new wage.
The new wage review period has now also been reduced to three years.
