PRESS COVERAGE OF THE PASSAGE OF NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE ACT IN NIGERIA (A STUDY OF VANGUARD AND THURSDAY NEWSPAPER). A RESEARCH PROJECT MATERIAL ON MASS COMMUNICATION
ABSTRACT
This work is an assessment of the extent of the press coverage of the passage of the national minimum wage act in Nigeria. The assessment is based on the following criteria the number of space allotted to the wage bill, the depth of the story direction favourably or not favourably, the frequently of the wage report and the ethical standard used in the coverage. Two national daily Newspapers were picked at random and their contents were evaluated and analyzed at a given period of time. These were Vanguard and Thisday newspaper. The researcher made use of chi-square method to analyze the data and tested the hypotheses. It was however discovered that the extents to which the national minimum wage act were reported is adequate. It was observed that the successful passage of that act was due to adequate awareness created by the press on the bill. To further strengthen the proper implementation of this act, it is recommended that the media should get the relevant agencies to speed up steps toward the implementation.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) recognizes Nigeria as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign country consisting of thirty-six (36) states a federal capital Territory and Seven Hundred and Sixty-Eight (768) local government Areas.
The legislative powers of the Federal Government of Nigeria are vested in the National Assembly. Item 34 of the Exclusive legislative List, under the 1999 constitution (as amended), confers on the National Assembly the exclusive authority to legislate on labour matters, which encompasses trade union activities, individual relations, employees’ conditions of services and welfare, industrial dispute, prescribing a national minimum wage for the federation or for any part of the federation and industrial arbitrations.
Based on the above constitutional provisions, the Nigerian National Assembly recently passed into law a National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2011. Consequently upon that, controversy, misrepresentations and threats of strike actions have followed the implementation of the provisions of this law with some state governments insisting that they cannot afford to pay the new national minimum wage.
A wage is described by the National Minimum Wage Act (as amended) to mean the total emolument paid every month to an employee, for performing the services for which he or she is employed, on the basis of a forty-hour week, and howsoever as the emolument may be designated by the employer. The National Minimum Wage (amendment) Act, 2011 was enacted to amend some sections of the National Minimum Wage Act 2004 by proving for a new National Minimum wage for the entire country and regulating matters relating to the national minimum wage in Nigeria.