Metro

Workers rubbish FG’s claim of not owing salaries, threaten strike action

Published

8 years ago

July 29, 2016

Federal senior civil servants under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria (ASCSN) have threatened to on strike over unpaid salaries.

This is coming days after the Federal Government claimed it did not owe salaries of workers.

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma had on July 22, dismissed speculations that the Federal Government, owed salaries of workers at the federal level.

The Minister had said “We have paid all salaries. Federal government has always been paying its salaries, and there is no risk whatsoever that there is going to be a situation where Federal Government will not pay salaries.

However, the Federal senior civil servants have threatened to down tools over unpaid salary arrears. They are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to direct immediate payment of their backlog of salaries and allowances, adding that their patience had been overstretched.

According to the workers, there is no better time to settle the arrears than at the present economic hardship, where sufferings had been lifted to a frightening level.

Outgoing President of the body, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, said while addressing delegates of the body at ASCSN National Delegates Conference, NDC, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, “You will recall that in one of our correspondences to President Buhari before his inauguration, we did set out an agenda for him towards moving the nation forward.

“One of the items on the agenda is the settlement of all outstanding salaries and allowances owed workers throughout the federation. When the issue of bailout was, therefore, announced by the government, we heaved a sigh of relief thinking the arrangement will cover public officers in the various Ministries Departments and Agencies, MDAs, both at the federal and state levels.”

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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