Chukwu David 
The Senate and the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), on Monday, raised a campaign for the inclusion of domestic servants in the proposed N70,000 national minimum wage scheme.
The Senate and the women’s group, made the call at the National Assembly Complex, during a public hearing on a bill seeking for an Act to provide for the domestication and registration of domestic workers and employers in Nigeria.
The public hearing on the bill sponsored by Senator Babangida Hussaini (APC Jigawa North West), was organised by the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, under the chairmanship of Senator Diket Plang (APC Plateau Central).
On the Senate side, the call for the inclusion of domestic servants in the national minimum wage scheme, came from Senator Osita Izunaso (APC Imo West), while making a contribution to the legislative proposal.
He said: “As a member of this committee, I feel strongly that part of the provisions to be included in this bill, is to include the domestic workers be it housemaids or servants, in the proposed N70,000 National Minimum wage law.
“As N70,000 is being planned to be the lowest wage for the lowest public workers, so should be the case for least domestic workers. We are going to put it in the bill for implementation by all employers.”
He, however, suggested that instead of domestication and protection of domestic workers and employers, the amendment of the bill should be changed to registration and protection of domestic workers and their employers.
Similarly, the Acting National President of NCWS, Mrs Geraldeen Etuk, also joined in the call, urging that domestic servants should be included in the proposed national minimum wage law.
However, speaking with journalists after the public hearing, the sponsor of the bill, Senator Babangida Hussaini, said that though he was elated by the general support the bill got from the various stakeholders, but practical implementation of the additional scope of inclusion of domestic workers in the national minimum wage seems non-implementable.
“There is no point in making a law that cannot be implemented but I’m happy that the generality of stakeholders at the public hearing, supported the bill and by extension, the proposed law.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Diket Plang, said that an agency would surely be set up for the implementation of the proposed law, but the Ministry of Labour and Productivity would drive the operation from the onset.
