Federal Civil Servants Threaten Industrial Action
In a statement released on Monday, the union disclosed that thousands of federal civil servants were yet to be paid their December 2013 salaries, adding that the affected workers and their families spent Christmas in pain and bore the pangs of hunger.
The ASCSN maintained that the inability of the federal government to pay salaries had lent credence to the belief in some quarters that the managers of the public sector economy were “grossly incompetent and rabidly corrupt”.
The statement signed by the union’s secretary, Alade Lawal, therefore called on the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to explain to Nigerians why the federal government could no longer pay salaries to its employees as at when due. It added that it had become necessary for the minister to address the nation on the embarrassing situation since she has continued to maintain that the country is not broke.
The union said it was disheartening that the civil servants, who are the least paid in Africa, South of the Sahara, could no longer get their meagre salaries on due date, stressing that the delay was pushing the workers and their unions to the wall.
“We wish to emphasise that if federal civil servants are not paid their December 2013 salary and arrears outstanding since July 2013 immediately, the entire Federal Civil Service will be shut down shortly.
“It is difficult to understand why civil servants cannot be paid their paltry salaries in an economy where the political elite are carting away millions of naira monthly as remunerations while billions of public funds are also being looted without qualms and those involved in the stealing spree are not being brought to book.
“We have never had a situation in this country where the federal government cannot pay the salary of civil servants, particularly during festive periods. This development is very unfortunate and is making Nigeria a laughing stock before the international community,” the union stated.
The union emphasised that it would not stand by and watch the salary of members being looted, as had been the case with the pension funds.
It therefore appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to step in and order the finance minister to pay civil servants their salaries without further delay, adding that the necessary machinery should be put in place to ensure that such an embarrassing situation does not repeat itself.
