The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has threatened a showdown with the federal government over its failure in paying salaries of those working in the nation’s public service for three months. It noted that plans have been concluded to call its members out for an industrial action that will compel government agencies to pay workers’ outstanding salaries from October to December.
The ASCSN Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, who disclosed this indication in Abuja on Thursday, expressed sadness over government’s attitude towards workers in the civil service.
He listed federal ministries of Agriculture, Education, Works, Labour and Productivity as well as a host of other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as being unable to pay salaries of their workers since October this year.
According to the union leader, “As we write, information reaching the union from informed quarters indicate that about 30 ministries, departments and agencies will not pay December 2014 salaries to their employees.
“It is very unfortunate that since October 2014, the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Works, Labour and Productivity as well as a host of other MDAs have not paid salaries to their workers.”
ASCSN regretted that this will lead thousands of civil servants to celebrate the yuletide without salaries and called on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene and ensure that workers in the civil service are paid their salaries before the festive period.
The association further pleaded with government to use the N9.2 billion earmarked to buy stoves for “rural women” to offset the three months salary arrears.
“We cannot understand how N9.2 billion would be spent on stoves while workers who toil daily to keep the wheels of government functioning cannot be paid their meager salaries,” it stated.
ASCSN recalled that last year over 40 MDAs defaulted in paying December 2013 salaries to their workers, adding that when the union raised the alarm, government officials were quick to deny the development prompting the association to publish the names of the MDAs that were involved in the unpaid salaries saga.
“Based on this sad experience of last year, one would have expected that serious steps would have been taken to ensure that the ugly scenario does not repeat itself.
“Unfortunately, we are now back to square one. Workers, to say the least, are very sad as they can no longer meet their immediate needs as a result of refusal of government to pay them their salaries,” the civil servants noted.
Comentários