By olasunkanmi akoni & monsur olowoopejo
Following the newly approved consolidated salary structure, which Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State recently approved for the state public servants, Permanent Secretaries will take home about N1 million, directors, N347. 733.00 while N18,780 had been agreed upon as the state new minimum wage.

The new scale shows that the least paid worker, a messenger or cleaner, will earn about N19,000 per month, higher than the Federal Government’s N18,000 minimum wage scale.

This was disclosed, yesterday, at a news briefing by the Commissioner of Ministry of Establishment, Training & Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, the state Head of Services, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, and the leaders of the 14 approved labour unions, who met to ratify the new pay package.

At the signing, yesterday, at Alausa, were the Chairman of the state Joint Negotiating Committee, JNC, Mr Henry Akinwunmiju, and his counterpart at the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr Hakeem Kazeem, who explained that by the scale, a Permanent Secretary, in the state will earn three times of what a director will earn.

While giving further explanation on the salary package of the permanent secretary’s per month, Akinwunmiju said the salary of a level_17 director “was reviewed 179 per cent upward. Hitherto a director on grade level 17, formerly earn 117, 000 but with the new salary structure, it has increase to N 347, 000. The reason been in the federal circular by wages commission, it reads that a director should earn at least one third of what the Permanent Secretary earns.

According to him: “We have worked out the 18, 000 minimum wages and it translated 62.35 per cent based on the current salary the workers are earning. But what the state government is providing amounted to between 69_197 per cent. The minimum percentage is 69.6 per cent increase for civil servants between grade levels 1_6 while the others are adjusted until the last grade (17), which now enjoys 179 per cent increase.”

On the need for tax relief , Mr Hakeem Kazeem, who is one of the negotiating team, advocated for a 50 percent reduction of the tax currently being paid by the state public servants to enable them enjoy the new pay package.

“The 50 per cent out of the total emolument should be given to the worker as tax free. What the state government should tax is the remaining 50 per cent of the salary. If this is done, it will go a long way in giving the worker relief so that what the workers will be earning could be regarded as take home pay.” Kazeem said.