The leadership of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure speedy implementation of the proposed salary increment for federal civil servants.
The union added that workers, since the recent pronouncement of the salary increase by the Minister of Labour and Employment, were appreciative and proud of thePresident for taking such action.
ASCSN also expressed belief that President Buhari knows the level of economic hardship workers in Nigeria, who are ladened by dependents and responsibilities, are going through, saying that time was of essence and therefore must not be wasted in the implementation of the salary increment plan.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune in an exclusive chat, the National President of ASCSN, Comrade (Dr) Tommy Etim Okon, said the reality on ground shows that workers can no longer meet up with their caregiving responsibilities to their families because of the eroded purchasing power of the Naira and N30,000 minimum wage due to high inflation.
He further said that workers, being aware that President Buhari’s administration has few months to go, have fixed their hope on the increment and would be greatly disappointed if the government failed to back the pronouncement with concrete action and result.
“The recent statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, that the government is planning to increase workers’ salary because of the reality of the economic situation in the country, is a welcome development. In fact, increment of workers’ salary was one of the requests the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria made to President Muhammadu Buharu during our courtesy visit to him recently.
“We are happy that the government is responding positively. It therefore means that workers will have hope that the government is really thinking to cushion the severe hardship that currently affects their socioeconomic wellbeing.
“The reality on ground shows that workers can no longer meet up with their caregiving responsibility to their families because of the rate of inflation, therefore, their purchasing power is weaker than ever. For the government to think in that direction means that it is also listening to the yearning of workers.
“We want to believe that before the Minister of Labour made that statement, he must be aware of the implications if they don’t implement the proposed salary increment. So we are confident that the government will definitely do what it has promised.
“We also believe that the government is aware of how terrible the economic situation in the country is. Those in government have dependents and relatives who are workers, and we are sure they know the pressure on them. So we trust that the government, knowing how tough it is to fund its operations, need not be told how hard it is for the citizens. Therefore we expect that President Buhari will quickly implement the plan, which will mean a direct action to help workers and Nigerians at large in this time of severe hardship.
“Following the pronouncement, every worker is happy and full of expectation. The expectation is very high and it therefore means that all eyes are on the ball. So we are looking forward to getting the circular and the implementation that will follow.
“We are using this medium to call on the President Buhari-led Federal Government to work the talk by commencing the implementation of the proposed salary increase for Nigerian workers without further delay. Government has said it and we want it to be implemented on time,” Okon said.
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