Will domestic workers earn new minimum wage?

Recently, Senate President Godswill Akpabio made an announcement that has sparked widespread discussions. According to him, the newly approved minimum wage would apply to all workers, across both public and private sectors, including domestic staff like maids and gatemen. 

The question on everyone’s mind: Could this be true? Are domestic workers about to receive a significant pay rise?

During a plenary session, Akpabio boldly declared: “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay them below 70,000 Naira. If you are a mother with a newborn child and you want to hire a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay the person below the approved minimum wage. It applies to all and sundry.”

His statement was met with enthusiasm, and various credible platforms quickly picked up the story. The prospect of a new financial benchmark for domestic workers seemed promising.

But here’s where we pause — how accurate is this claim?

After delving into the details of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Act Bill and the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, we found that domestic workers are NOT included in the payment of the monthly minimum wage for employees in the country. Both the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Act Bill and the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019 did not include domestic workers in the payment of the monthly minimum wage for employees in the country.

Section 3(1) of the 2019 Act states that “Every employer shall pay a national minimum wage of not less than N30,000 per month to every worker under his establishment, except as otherwise provided under this Act,” while Section 4(1) of the Act states that, “Section 3(1) does not apply to establishments in which workers are employed or paid on a part-time basis and commission or piece rate, an establishment employing less than 25 persons, workers in seasonal employment like agriculture, and any person employed in a vessel or aircraft to which the laws regulating merchant shipping or civil aviation apply.”

The explanatory memorandum of the 2024 minimum wage amendment bill remained silent on the inclusion of domestic workers, leaving their fate unchanged from the 2019 provisions.

CONCLUSION
The claim by Senate President Akpabio that domestic workers will earn N70, 000 minimum wage is FALSE.