Labour Vows To Shut Down Government Over Promotion Arrears If…
Unless there is immediate intervention, the organized Labour under the auspices of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has vowed to shut down the government if it fails to pay promotion arrears, outstanding salaries, and other allowances owed Federal officers on or before Monday, 18th September, 2017.
The labour unions in a press statement issued in Lagos and signed by the ASCSN Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, regretted that for more than two years, the Federal Government has been promising to pay Federal officers their outstanding entitlements without doing so.
“It is rather unfortunate that the same Federal Government that has given State Governments bailouts up to three times to settle the entitlements owed their workers, takes delight in punishing its own employees by denying them their legitimate benefits,” the Union stated.
According to the ASCSN, the debts owed Federal officers by the Federal Government include outstanding salaries, promotion arrears, first 28-day allowance on transfer from post, mandatory training allowance of OHCSF 2010, repatriation allowances, burial expenses, and death benefits.
It recalled that the Union had written several letters to the Presidency to settle the debts owed Federal officers but the government had been dilly dallying.
“Although the Federal Government had issued two different circulars directing the MDAs to compile the names of their staff that are affected which they did, yet, no payment was made.
“Even when the Government directed the Budget Office to raise virement last year for the payment of the outstanding entitlements, there was no cash backing until the virement lapsed,” the union lamented.
It posited that two months ago, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment informed the union that N10 billion had been earmarked to kick- start the payment but nothing had happened.
The union emphasized that the patience of the workers has been exhausted on the matter, adding that if not for the trade union skills being employed by the leadership of the association, the entire Federal Public Service would have been engulfed by wildcat strike.
“Workers have now come to agree that the Federal Government is not in any way serious about paying them their outstanding entitlements.
“In view of the foregoing, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has given the Federal Government a 7-day ultimatum with effect from 8th September, 2017, within which to settle all the debts owed Federal officers failing which a 3-day warning strike will start in all the Federal MDAs throughout the country,” the union said.
It urged prominent citizens, royal fathers, religious leaders and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project to prevail on the Federal Government to pay the debt owed Federal officers and not wait until the strike action starts before they begin to plead with the Union to call it off.