Workers in the civil service on the same grade level or salary scale may not earn the same salary as the Federal Government is considering a new wage system based on productivity.
The Director-General, National Productivity Centre (NPC), Dr. Nasir Raji-Mustapha, disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with newsmen.
He said that with the system, workers on the same level could earn different salaries.
According to him, the system became necessary because the Federal Government had realised that productivity is a key factor in the growth of the country’s economy.
“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 said.
On whether the new proposal on a productivity-based wage system has the support and input of organised labour, the NPC boss stated that labour must be carried along in the initiative.
“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,” he said.
“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 memo to NLC and TUC to ask them whether they will support the proposed Wage System and they said they would welcome it.”
Raji-Mustapha added that the report for the first phase of the study was ready.
According to him, the next stage would be to involve various stakeholders to consider and make inputs before they are finally presented to the Federal Government for its consideration and possible adoption.
The NPC boss also disclosed that the Centre had started collaborating with some international agencies and organisations to ensure that the productivity and skills of Nigerian workers are adequately improved to impact positively on the economy.
He said that the NPC had broadened its scope of collaboration with international agencies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, (JACA), Africa Productivity Association and Asia Productivity Association.
According to him, the Centre had done a lot in the area of productivity promotion and advocacy for youths, especially the youth corp members at the NYSC camps.
Raji-Mustapha added that the NPC had resuscitated preaching and promoting productivity at the NYSC camps.
He also disclosed that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, would be the keynote speaker at a two-day National Productivity Summit organised by the centre and holding the nation’s capital on Tuesday (today).
“The summit is very important because, in today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, you would agree with me that there is a need for increased productivity. We must harness the power of science, technology and innovation and use them to optimise the resources in the country and the VP is the keynote speaker,” he added.
