Promotion arrears:  Labour to protest at National Assembly

Organised labour under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) is mobilising workers to occupy the National Assembly over the cut in the budgetary allocation in the federal service wide vote under which promotion arrears, salary increase and pension of workers is captured.

Alade Bashir Lawal, secretary-general, ASCSN, who disclosed this on Thursday, expressed shock at what he called “high level of insensitivity of members of the National Assembly” for putting their personal interest over and above that of majority of Nigerians.

“It is inconceivable that the federal lawmakers have decided to reduce by N28.5 billion the N465 billion voted by the executive arm of government to settle some arrears of allowances owed thousands of civil servants, some of which have been outstanding since 2007,” the union said.

The ASCSN recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, the union wrote series of letters to him drawing his attention to these outstanding allowances that had continued to generate restiveness in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for years.

“This was precisely why the Federal Government set up a Government-Labour panel under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to look into the matter. Thereafter, the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF) directed all MDAs to compile their indebtedness as it affects the outstanding salaries and allowances for the purpose of settling them.

“The submissions were made and computation done in record time with the resultant figure imputed into the 2016 budget estimate.

“These allowances include but are not limited to salary arrears, Promotion arrears outstanding since 2007, 1st 28 Days in lieu of Hotel Accommodation, Duty Tour Allowance (DTA), Mandatory Training Allowance for 2010, Burial expenses, Repatriation Allowance, etc,” the union emphasised.

The ASCSN expressed shock at the insensitivity of the National Assembly to issues concerning welfare of Nigerians because while members of the National Assembly were fighting against the welfare of workers, the law makers were busy appropriating cash to themselves to buy over 400 new vehicles valued at over ₦4.7 billion in addition to their over-bloated emoluments that have been a subject of public outcry.

“It should be noted that the job of the Executive is to produce budget estimates which it has done but instead of the National Assembly to go through the estimates and see how it conforms with the economic policy of Government via-a-vis the welfare interest of Nigerians, they are now chopping and changing, removing figures and inserting others at will to suit their selfish desires.  This is very unfortunate,” the union lamented.

The ASCSN stressed that Nigerian workers and their trade Unions could no longer be taken for a ride anymore because their patience on this issue of promotion arrears had been overstretched.