The ASCSN, or Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, has warned to severely impair the operations of any state that does not impose the new national minimum salary of N70,000.
Shehu Muhammad, the association’s president, issued the warning yesterday at the organization’s 5th Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Lagos, where he was elected to the position.
According to him, “For states not ready to implement the new minimum wage, let me tell you categorically, it is impossible. We are coming for them.”
Since state government earnings have increased as a result of improved allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, he urged state governments to implement the new pay in order to raise the standard of living for their population.
Muhammad advised states to adopt the policy of indexing income to match with the rate of inflation in order to achieve this, stressing that states might do so by cutting waste and preventing the leaking of public funds.
ASCSN new President said “the most important priority now is to address the issue of the new minimum wage by constituting a committee to address the consequential adjustments towards implementation and the strategies to ensure workers have a living wage in Nigeria.
“The full implementation of the new national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments at both the federal and the 36 states of the federation will be the top priority of Organised Labour.”
Joshua Apebo, the Secretary General of the Association, had earlier contended that state governors ought to enact the new minimum wage right away in order to raise the standard of living for their constituents, in light of the Federal Account Allocation Committee’s (FAAC) increase in allocation since the fuel subsidy was eliminated.
He said “We request that state governments implement the new national minimum wage to enhance the standard of living for their citizens. This can be achieved by reducing wastages and blocking leakages of government funds. We also advise the government to adopt the policy of indexing income to match inflation rates, as recommended years ago by the Chief Ernest Shonekan committee.”
Festus Osifo, the president of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), pledged in a message of solidarity to stand behind the new executives in order to defend the rights of workers.
He implored the newly elected leadership to prioritise the interests of the union and the people who elected them.
