PAPER REVIEW

MINIMUM WAGE: AT LAST, FG CONCEDES TO LABOUR

After several weeks of negotiation between the Federal Government and organised labour following the disagreement on the mode of implementation of the National Minimum Wage Act, the former Tuesday agreed to demands of the latter that all cadres of civil servants should benefit from the new wage regime. Consequently, workers on grade levels 1 to 17 in the federal civil service are to have some money added to their current salary, as an increment arising from the new National Minimum Wage Act. Both parties also agreed, after a two-hour closed door meeting, that the implementation of the new pay structure would commence this month. In a communiqué read by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, the Federal Government gave the assurance that the new wage would be implemented and the issue of relativity would be taken care of. “The detailed negotiation on relativity adjustment with respect to the implementation of the minimum wage has been sorted out and agreed upon. Modalities will be worked out and these modalities that will be worked out will be worked out by the joint committee and will be tabled before the national executive councils of NLC and TUC,” he read. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Abdulwahed Omar said the discussion on relativity would have been concluded by July 31, but unfortunately, it was segmented because of one or two areas of non-agreement. “Majorly in the area of adjustment across the board, as a result of compliance with the new Minimum Wage Act, this adjustment now cuts across board in order to maintain some reasonable relativity,” he said. He said all labour centres would make formal presentations to their respective organs in a meeting by today and would communicate to the government whatever agreements were reached. President-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele also confirmed that the issue of relativity would be discussed at the National Executive Council (NEC). ThisDay

FRSC BEGINS NEW NUMBER PLATES THIS MONTH

The Federal Road Safety Corps is to commence the issuance of new vehicle number plates this month in its renewed determination to harmonise all existing modes of licensing of vehicles nationwide. The FRSC, which said Nigeria was currently losing over N15bn annually to vendors of fake vehicle licences, also planned to introduce a new driving licence, with new security features, to make it difficult for fraudsters to continue to forge the document. A statement by the corps on Monday said that the new plates would be attached to vehicle owners with an identification tag bearing the number affixed to the windscreen for ease of security checks. It quoted the FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Mr. Osita Chidoka, as saying the new vehicle number plates formed part of corps’ strategies towards restoring order and sanity in the nation’s motor vehicle administration scheme. On the features of the number plate, the Corps Marshal said that beside the improved security features, the number plates would come with bolder embossed character and the 50th Nigerian anniversary commemorative logo. Chidoka also said that the FRSC had completed an upgrade of its Lagos production plant, especially in information and communications technology to ensure a hitch-free unveiling of the number plate. Other measures for the smooth production of the new number plates, according to him, are the establishment of two new plants in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory, and Awka in Anambra State; cleaning up and updating of central database on motor vehicles in Nigeria.  To pave the way for the new arrangement, Chidoka said that the corps had initiated a quality management system and total overhaul of the national vehicle identification scheme, which would require vehicle owners to exchange their present number plates for the new ones. The statement was, however, silent on when the FRSC would commence the new driving licence.  The corps marshal had earlier said that the new regime would take effect from April this year. He said that the organisation was disturbed by the growing number of syndicates engaged in the illegal production of driving licences and other vehicle documents. The FRSC chief executive added that drivers below 25 years would be required to renew their provisional driving licences until they clocked 25. Similarly, those above 65 years would undergo strict verification every year at states’ vehicle inspection offices before being issued with the licence. He, however, warned that any driver under 25 years would not be allowed to drive at night.