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By Bimbola Oyesola
Organised Labour in the Civil Service yesterday mandated the Federal Government to restore the payment of gratuity to Public Service Employees immediately in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the restoration of payment of gratuity as there is no law of the Pension Reform stopping it.
The union President, Tommy Etim Okon , reading the communique issued at the end of the NEC meeting regretted that since the enactment of the Pension Reform Act 2004, the government has stopped paying gratuity to public service employees, saying the Act did not abolish payment of gratuity which is why gratuity is still item 44 of the Second Schedule on the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and as such remains an inseparable component of Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said: “Comrades, as you are no doubt aware, since the Pension Reform Act 2004 was enacted, the government has stopped paying gratuity to public service employees while private sector employers are still paying gratuity to their workers on leaving service.
“The stoppage of payment of gratuity to public service employees is very unfortunate because even though the Act was silent on payment of gratuity, it did not expressly abolish it and as such gratuity remains an inseparable component of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”
The ASCSN President said the Association has since presented a memorandum to Council canvassing for the restoration of payment of gratuity to public service employees.
He added: “This is all the more important because political office holders who serve the country for one to eight years are paid humongous sums of money as gratuity or what they styled severance benefits while public service employees who serve their country meritoriously for 35 or 40 years or attain the retirement age of 60 or 65 years are denied gratuity.”
