BREAKING: Fed Govt Proposes Merit-Based Pay System for Workers

The federal government announced on Monday, May 13, that it is developing a new wage system for civil service employees based on productivity. This system will allow workers on the same level to earn different salaries depending on their performance.

Nasir Raji-Mustapha, Director-General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), revealed this initiative during a meeting with labor correspondents. He explained, “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.”

Raji-Mustapha emphasized that the input of organized labor is crucial for the success of this proposal. “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 labor unions participated. We even went further to send a memo to NLC and TUC to ask them whether they will support the proposed Wage System, and they said they will welcome it.”

The NPC has completed the first phase of the study and is now moving to engage various stakeholders for further input before presenting it to the federal government for consideration and potential adoption. Additionally, the center is collaborating with international agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, Africa Productivity Association, and Asia Productivity Association, to enhance the productivity and skills of Nigerian workers.

Raji-Mustapha noted that the NPC has been active in promoting productivity, especially among youth, through programs at NYSC camps. Furthermore, Vice President Kashim Shettima is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the two-day National Productivity Summit organized by the NPC in the nation’s capital tomorrow.

This article is sourced from The Punch newspaper, with minor edits and adaptations by The Spectacles for clarity and readability.