The Federal Government said the new minimum wage of N30, 000 started in April directing any state yet to commence to pay in arrears.
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This was contained in an interview the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige granted newsmen at the weekend in Abuja.
Ngige said payment of the new wage is mandatory for all employers of labour in the country provided the organisation has up to twenty five staff adding that committee was working out a new template for upward consequential adjustment for those already earning above N30,000.
The minister said, “They (private sector) will enjoy it. In fact, they have started enjoying it. Employers in the private sector adjusted immediately because it is easier for them to do. In the government sector, the bureaucracy and bottleneck of government is responsible for the delay.
“You know that you must budget for it. That is what is causing the delay. But whenever the encumbrances are removed, they will pay arrears with effect from 18th April, 2019.
“So, the sooner an establishment start paying, the better for you so that you don’t take a huge backlog that you cannot take.”
