Follow Us on Google
•Says 40% allowance’ll close salary gap
By Bimbola Oyesola , [email protected]
As workers celebrated May Day yesterday across the nation, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) said the Federal Government’s approval and payment of 40 percent peculiar allowance for civil servants would bridge gap in salaries.
Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for the gesture, the president of the ASCSN, Tommy Okon, said it was an intervention that would save workers from further degeneration into poverty.
“As we join millions of Nigerian workers and their counterparts from all over the world to mark the 2023 May Day, we wish to commend His Excellency, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari for approving 40% peculiar allowance for civil servants who are on Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure,” he said.
Okon said the civil servants also acknowledged the invaluable contribution of the leadership of several ministries who made it possible for the workers to get the reprieve.
He said, “We equally extend our gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, OON, the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, CON, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Mrs. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, and the chairman, Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, Esq. for the positive roles they played in working out the peculiar allowance for civil servants.
“We are also very appreciative of the commitment of all the members of the Presidential Committee on Harmonisation of Salary for their painstaking effort to ensure the realization of the 40% peculiar allowance for public servants on Consolidated Salary Structure.”
The ASCSN maintained that what the allowance means to the core civil servants is the fact that it would bridge the gap in the salaries paid to them when compared with the emoluments of employees in other agencies of government.
He said members of the union deserved the earnings as they have been loyal, committed and dedicated in the discharge of their core duties.
“We praise our members throughout the federation for their loyalty, commitment and dedication, which have encouraged the national Leadership of the union to continue to take the association to greater heights.
“We assure you all of our commitment to reinvigorate our efforts in the pursuit of your welfare matters with all agencies of government,” he said.
Okon noted that he was positive that the negotiation for the salary increase for the minimum wage next year would be seamless as it is already an act of Parliament.
He traced the origin of the 40 per cent increase to when the Central Working Committee members of ASCSN met with the President last year.
“It was discovered that there was a lot of gap between other agencies of government and the core civil servants in terms of the pay package.
“The government decided to set up a presidential committee on harmonization to bridge that gap. And you know that government business is a process, you cannot just start and end immediately. Several committees need to be set up to look at the pros and cons and the cost of a policy before it is implemented,” he said.
He said further that the pay rise was encouraging to the workers and and leaders of the trade union movement.
“We are hopeful that the new administration would learn from this so that, when we go into the negotiation of pay rise next year, we would be able to reach a positive resolution,” he said.
