Connect with us

News

Certain Workers Excluded from Nigeria’s New N70,000 Minimum Wage: Tripartite Committee Report

Published

on

Certain Workers Excluded from Nigeria’s New N70,000 Minimum Wage: Tripartite Committee Report

As anticipation builds around the implementation of Nigeria’s new N70,000 minimum wage, a recent report reveals that not all workers will benefit from this increase. The Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage has outlined specific categories of workers who will not be eligible for the new wage, based on criteria beyond the minimum wage threshold.

The committee, consisting of key stakeholders such as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Onyejeocha Nkiruka, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State, labor leaders, and private sector operators, recommended changes to the eligibility criteria for receiving the minimum wage. Their report highlights several categories of workers who may be exempt from the new wage law.

Key Recommendations and Criteria for Exemption

  1. Employer Size and Revenue:
    • The committee recommends that employers with fewer than 10 employees (reduced from the previous 25 employees as per the 2018 Minimum Wage Act) may be exempt from paying the new minimum wage.
    • Businesses with less than N50 million in revenue per quarter or N200 million annually are also eligible for exemption.
  2. Business Type and Age:
    • Nano businesses (managed by 1-3 persons with capital below N50,000) and micro enterprises with 10 or fewer employees are considered for exemption.
    • Startups and businesses in existence for not more than three years could be exempted to encourage entrepreneurship.
  3. Sector-specific Considerations:
    • Industries where staff remuneration is regulated by other Acts of the National Assembly may qualify for exemption.
    • The committee suggests introducing hourly, daily, and weekly wage options for businesses that pay wages outside the traditional monthly system. This measure is intended to accommodate part-time and piece-rate workers in both the organized and informal sectors.
  4. Exemption by Application:
    • Organizations may apply for exemption based on financial constraints such as insolvency, debt crisis, or other financial difficulties that threaten their existence. However, this does not apply to government entities or their ministries, departments, and agencies.

Rationale for Exemptions

The committee aims to prevent unfair exclusion of workers from decent earnings while considering the financial realities of small businesses. The approach focuses on a business’s revenue and financial capacity rather than its employee count, ensuring that exemptions are justified by financial evidence rather than arbitrary limits.

Formal vs. Informal Sector Wage Patterns

The report also differentiates between formal and informal wage patterns:

Advertisement

Informal Sector: Features varied wage patterns, such as commissions or daily sales-dependent pay. This sector also includes apprenticeships and other non-traditional employment arrangements.

Formal Sector: Includes government and organized private sector businesses where monthly salaries are prevalent. These sectors are typically the focus of national minimum wage laws.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Ukraine and US Reach Minerals Agreement Amid Ongoing War

Published

on

Ukraine and US Reach Minerals Agreement Amid Ongoing War

Ukraine has confirmed an agreement with the United States on a minerals deal, calling it a “positive outcome” with “good amendments,” though officials have yet to disclose further details.

Media reports suggest that Washington has dropped an initial demand for a $500 billion share in potential revenue from Ukraine’s natural resources. However, the deal does not appear to include the firm security guarantees that Kyiv had sought.

US President Donald Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to Washington this week to finalize the agreement. The development follows a series of tense exchanges between the two leaders.

Advertisement

While Trump did not explicitly confirm the deal’s finalization, he stated that in return, Ukraine would get “the right to fight on.” Acknowledging Ukraine’s resilience, he added, “Without the United States and its money and its military equipment, this war would have been over in a very short period of time.”

When asked whether US military support for Ukraine would continue, Trump indicated that assistance might persist “until we have a deal with Russia,” stressing the need for a negotiated settlement to end the conflict. He also suggested that any future peace deal would require “some form of peacekeeping” acceptable to all parties involved.

Ukraine possesses vast deposits of critical minerals such as lithium and titanium, alongside substantial reserves of coal, gas, oil, and uranium—resources valued in the billions. Trump has framed the agreement as one that will allow the US to recoup more than it has spent on supporting Ukraine. However, final details of the deal reportedly remain under negotiation.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Australian Nurses Suspended Over Antisemitic Video Amid National Crackdown on Hate Speech

Published

on

Australian Nurses Suspended Over Antisemitic Video Amid National Crackdown on Hate Speech

Two Australian nurses have been suspended after a video surfaced showing them making violent antisemitic remarks, including threats to harm Israeli patients. The incident, which allegedly took place at a hospital in Sydney, has sparked outrage and is now under police investigation.

New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed that the two individuals had been stood down immediately and would never work in the state’s healthcare system again. Authorities are conducting a thorough review of hospital records to ensure no patients were harmed, though a rapid preliminary check found nothing unusual.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the video as “sickening and shameful,” emphasizing that antisemitism has no place in Australia. His comments come just days after the country passed stricter hate crime laws in response to a surge in antisemitic incidents.

Advertisement

The video, shared online by Israeli content creator Max Veifer, appears to have been recorded in a hospital setting. In the footage, a man claiming to be a doctor tells Veifer he has “beautiful eyes” but adds, “I’m sorry you’re Israeli,” before making a throat-slitting gesture and stating he sends Israelis to “Jahannam” (an Islamic concept of hell). A woman later appears on screen, saying she refuses to treat Israelis and will “kill them” instead.

Despite the video being edited with emojis and censoring certain comments, authorities have not questioned its authenticity. NSW Police stated they have identified the individuals involved and are investigating whether criminal charges should be pursued.

Albanese vowed that anyone found guilty of committing hate crimes will “face the full force of our laws.” Park echoed this sentiment, apologizing to the Jewish community and reassuring them that NSW hospitals remain committed to providing “first-class” healthcare to all patients, regardless of background.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Coca-Cola May Increase Plastic Bottle Use Due to Trump’s Aluminium Tariffs

Published

on

Coca-Cola May Increase Plastic Bottle Use Due to Trump’s Aluminium Tariffs

Coca-Cola has warned that it may have to increase the use of plastic bottles in the U.S. if President Donald Trump’s new tariffs make aluminium cans too expensive. The announcement was made by Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey during a call with investors.

Trump’s recent order imposes a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the U.S., a move expected to raise costs for canned food and beverage manufacturers. Quincey acknowledged that Coca-Cola could shift more emphasis to PET plastic bottles to manage affordability.

“If aluminium cans become more expensive, we can put more emphasis on PET bottles,” he said, while noting that packaging costs are only a small fraction of the company’s overall expenses.

Advertisement

This shift comes shortly after Coca-Cola scaled back its sustainability goal of using 50% recycled materials in its packaging by 2030, adjusting the target to 35-40% by 2035. The beverage giant has been under pressure from environmental groups, which have labeled it the world’s “top global plastic polluter” for six years in a row.

Aluminium cans, despite being pricier, are far more recyclable than plastic bottles. The U.S. imports nearly half of its aluminium, according to the United States Geological Survey, making the tariffs a significant factor in production costs. Unlike in 2018, when some can-makers received exemptions from similar tariffs, Trump has now ruled out any exceptions for products or countries.

In a separate move, Trump also signed an executive order rolling back efforts to replace plastic straws with paper alternatives in government facilities—undoing a policy introduced by former President Joe Biden, who had called plastic pollution a “crisis.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending