August 13, 2024
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has threatened a showdown with states that refuse to implement the N70,000 new national minimum wage.
Newly elected President of the Association Shehu Muhammed, disclosed this on Monday at the association’s 5th Quadrennial Delegates Conference held in Lagos, where he emerged as president.
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.”
He urged state governments to implement the new wage to improve the standard of living of their citizens since the incomes of state governments have continued to rise following enhanced allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC.
Muhammed urged that states could achieve this by reducing wastages and blocking leakages of government funds.
He 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.”
Earlier, the Secretary General of the Association, Joshua Apebo argued that following the increase in allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, since the removal of fuel subsidy, the state governors should immediately implement the new minimum wage to improve the standard of living of workers.
In his solidarity message, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Festus Osifo, promised to support the new executives to safeguard the interests of workers.
