The House of Representatives is currently reviewing a legislative bill aimed at giving jail term to employers who neglect to fulfill their obligation of timely salary payments to their workers.
This new bill, known as the Employees Remuneration Protection Bill, has been put forth to tackle the widespread issue of delayed or unpaid wages throughout the nation. Wale Hammed, a representative from the Agege federal constituency of Lagos State, is the sponsor of the bill.
Having successfully passed its initial reading in Section 7 (1), the bill explicitly declares it illegal for any employer to refuse or neglect the payment of employees’ remuneration, as outlined in the legislation.
Section 8 (1) emphasizes that if an employee’s remuneration remains unpaid beyond the timeframe stipulated by the bill, the employee is entitled to serve a written demand for payment to their employer.
In the event that an employee remains unpaid after five working days following the submission of the demand, the bill empowers the employee to seek redress through a court motion as per Section 9. The proposed legislation specifies a three to six-month jail term, without the possibility of a fine, for individual employers found guilty of non-payment of salaries.
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For corporate entities failing to comply with a court order to pay their employees, the bill imposes a daily fine of N10,000 for each day of default and authorizes the sealing off of the business for a maximum of three months if the default extends beyond two months.
Alternatively, the legislation suggests the imposition of a fine of N10,000 on every officer or agent of the organization, government parastatal, agency, body, or institution responsible for knowingly permitting the non-payment until compliance is achieved.
The bill also outlines that employers are obligated to provide written terms of employment within 14 working days after an employee’s commencement of duty, in the case of employment exceeding one month. The employment contract, endorsed by both parties, must outline employment specifics such as nature, termination methods, remuneration, payment methods, and terms and conditions.
Additionally, Section 27 of the proposed legislation safeguards employees who seek legal redress for unpaid remuneration, ensuring that such actions do not become grounds for disciplinary actions, queries, suspensions, or dismissals by the employer. #Jail Term