By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to implement a new wage system that would reward workers based on their productivity in the civil service.
The government says that the plans to implement the new wage system are already underway.
The New Diplomat reports that the new wage system, when implemented, would see workers on the same level earning different salaries.
The Director-General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), Nasir Raji-Mustapha, made disclosed this on Monday, May 13, while speaking during a meeting with Labour Correspondents.
He explained that the federal government is hoping that the new wage system would further boost the productivity of the civil service, thereby driving the growth of the country’s economy.
He said: “We are in the process of developing a productivity-led wage system that will ensure that those who are productive are rewarded for their efforts, irrespective of their grade level.
“Under the proposed system, employees on the same salary scale can earn different wages.”
Asked whether the new proposal on a productivity-led wage system had the support and input of organised labour, the NPC boss stressed that such a task couldn’t be carried out without the input of labour.
He continued: “Of course, labour, as a critical stakeholder, is being carried along in this exercise. As researchers, we don’t just do things without considering the recipient of the reports.
“When we started the project about three or four years ago, we held a stakeholders’ forum in which the labour unions participated.
“We even went further to send a memo to the NLC and TUC, to ask them whether they would support the proposed wage system and they said they would welcome it.”
Raji-Mustapha also disclosed that the report for the first phase of the study was ready, adding that the next stage would be to engage various stakeholders to consider and make inputs before finally presenting it to the Federal Government for its consideration and possible adoption.
The New Diplomat reports that latest development comes on the heels of discussions regarding the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The Federal Government has set up a tripartite committee to engage with relevant stakeholders and reach an agreement on the new minimum wage for workers.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded a N615,000, about 1,905% increase from the current minimum wage of N30,000 for its workers.
