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Nigeria’s federal civil servants have vowed to go ahead with their planned five day warning strike starting if the federal government fails to announce their demand for salary increament.
The warning strike will begin today despite pleas from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan in his address on May Day for them to cancel it and conclude all negotiations with government in three months time.
Jonathan had last Saturday informed Nigerians during the May Day rally at the Eagle Square, Abuja that he had directed the Minister of Labour and Productivity and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to conclude all negotiations in three months’ time and come up with increased wages.
Also, the Minister of Labour and Productivity Chief Emeka Wogu at the same rally reiterated Jonathan’s plea to the workers, asking them not to throw away the “good gestures” of the Acting President.
However, Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union side Comrade Olakunle Olaitan said yesterday that the strike must go on as intended because all their members across the nation have approved and sealed the decision.
Federal civil servants are demanding a salary increment of 75.37% but the government, after a series of meetings, only agreed to a 10% increase. They are also calling for the abolishing of the “wide disparity” that exists in the salaries of permanent secretaries and directors in the Service.
They decried a situation where “a permanent secretary earns up to ten times what a director earns and it is the directors who do all the work.” They called for relativity in the amount earned by all categories of workers “for the sake of justice.”
Comrade Olaitan who is also the President of the National Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) said his members met with government until late Saturday night with nothing tangible coming out of the interaction but the pleas by the Acting President.
He said “the strike is still on. It will commence as planned tomorrow (today) because before we finished last night’s meeting, it was very, very late. We asked them what they have brought back to the negotiating table; they have brought back the Presidential plea. That is what they have brought to the table for the association.
“They are calling on the JNSNC to suspend its strike for the period of three months, but we tell them that they should do something beyond that, something concrete, which we can take to our members, the Nigerian civil servants.”
He said all the eight unions will have to be consulted on the pleas but also that the workers are all agreed that they cannot accept government’s offer of 10% against their demand for 75.37% salary increment.
On his part, Minister of Labour Emeka Wogu, while appealing to the workers not to embark on the planned strike action said the Federal Government was “committed to the process of working out improved working and welfare conditions within the three months time frame given to the JPSNC by the Acting President.
“The issues involved are very serious and government is not taking it lightly and I am appealing to the workers union to please reciprocate the gestures of the Acting President. He has asked for a three month timeframe to enable government come up with the financial implications of whatever increase will be made.
“All I am asking is for the workers to suspend the strike and returns to the negotiating table to enable us agree on the details for whatever increase is going to be agreed, and there is no way we can agree in a war situation. We cannot build this castle in the air, whatever figure we agree must be built on realizable financial estimates and that is exactly why we are asking for the opportunity for the talks.”
“I am hopeful that the strike will be called off because our workers are patriotic and they will not throw away the good gestures of the Acting President. They saw him yesterday (Saturday) at the May Day parade and they saw his body language and I don’t think they would want to miss this opportunity,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has called for improved welfare for Nigerian workers. The governor spoke as workers in Edo State joined their counterparts across the country to observe the Workers’ Day at the weekend.
According to Comrade Oshiomhole, in the face of harsh working environment, the workers are responsible for creating the wealth of the nation, adding that nothing can justify the difference in the salaries of the federal and state workers.
The governor said the state government had implemented the reviewed wages of judicial workers, doctors, teachers and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Nigeria’s federal civil servants have vowed to go ahead with their planned five day warning strike starting if the federal government fails to announce their demand for salary increament.
The warning strike will begin today despite pleas from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan in his address on May Day for them to cancel it and conclude all negotiations with government in three months time.
Jonathan had last Saturday informed Nigerians during the May Day rally at the Eagle Square, Abuja that he had directed the Minister of Labour and Productivity and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to conclude all negotiations in three months’ time and come up with increased wages.
Also, the Minister of Labour and Productivity Chief Emeka Wogu at the same rally reiterated Jonathan’s plea to the workers, asking them not to throw away the “good gestures” of the Acting President.
However, Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union side Comrade Olakunle Olaitan said yesterday that the strike must go on as intended because all their members across the nation have approved and sealed the decision.
Federal civil servants are demanding a salary increment of 75.37% but the government, after a series of meetings, only agreed to a 10% increase. They are also calling for the abolishing of the “wide disparity” that exists in the salaries of permanent secretaries and directors in the Service.
They decried a situation where “a permanent secretary earns up to ten times what a director earns and it is the directors who do all the work.” They called for relativity in the amount earned by all categories of workers “for the sake of justice.”
Comrade Olaitan who is also the President of the National Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) said his members met with government until late Saturday night with nothing tangible coming out of the interaction but the pleas by the Acting President.
He said “the strike is still on. It will commence as planned tomorrow (today) because before we finished last night’s meeting, it was very, very late. We asked them what they have brought back to the negotiating table; they have brought back the Presidential plea. That is what they have brought to the table for the association.
“They are calling on the JNSNC to suspend its strike for the period of three months, but we tell them that they should do something beyond that, something concrete, which we can take to our members, the Nigerian civil servants.”
He said all the eight unions will have to be consulted on the pleas but also that the workers are all agreed that they cannot accept government’s offer of 10% against their demand for 75.37% salary increment.
On his part, Minister of Labour Emeka Wogu, while appealing to the workers not to embark on the planned strike action said the Federal Government was “committed to the process of working out improved working and welfare conditions within the three months time frame given to the JPSNC by the Acting President.
“The issues involved are very serious and government is not taking it lightly and I am appealing to the workers union to please reciprocate the gestures of the Acting President. He has asked for a three month timeframe to enable government come up with the financial implications of whatever increase will be made.
“All I am asking is for the workers to suspend the strike and returns to the negotiating table to enable us agree on the details for whatever increase is going to be agreed, and there is no way we can agree in a war situation. We cannot build this castle in the air, whatever figure we agree must be built on realizable financial estimates and that is exactly why we are asking for the opportunity for the talks.”
“I am hopeful that the strike will be called off because our workers are patriotic and they will not throw away the good gestures of the Acting President. They saw him yesterday (Saturday) at the May Day parade and they saw his body language and I don’t think they would want to miss this opportunity,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has called for improved welfare for Nigerian workers. The governor spoke as workers in Edo State joined their counterparts across the country to observe the Workers’ Day at the weekend.
According to Comrade Oshiomhole, in the face of harsh working environment, the workers are responsible for creating the wealth of the nation, adding that nothing can justify the difference in the salaries of the federal and state workers.
The governor said the state government had implemented the reviewed wages of judicial workers, doctors, teachers and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
