By Moses Omorogieva
Dr Tommy Okon, the President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has urged workers to vote out any political party that fails to prioritise their welfare in the 2023 election.
Okon gave the advice while fielding questions from journalist during the ASCSN National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Lagos on Monday.
He said that it was regrettable that some state governors were implementing policies that were inimical to the welfare of workers, adding that till now, some governors were yet to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.
The ASCSN president said that earlier in the year he led its Central Working Committee (CWC) to visit President Muhammed Buhari who acknowledged that the poor state of the economy had negatively affected the minimum wage.
He said that at the meeting, the president promised that the Federal Government would soon come out with a template that would improve the salary of workers.
Okon further said that the organised labour would map out a new frame work that would improve income when the Federal Government was ready to improve wages for workers.
He noted that labour was not against the removal of subsidy, but that workers’ salaries should be enhanced to cater for housing, transportation and education.
“The money that the Federal Government is using to subsidise petroleum products is sufficient to train all the students in the university.
“Directors in the civil service do not earn up to N500,000; how will they live in choice areas.
“We urge the government to initiate an effective transport system that will enable workers to manage their monthly income,’’ the ASCSN president said.
On the union, Okon said that there was no crisis in the association and thatcourt bailiff had taken inventory of the vandalised items in its national secretariat in Lagos.
“We have set up a five-man committee to investigate the crisis that led to imposters’ breaking-into the secretariat in October. The committee is expected to report to CWC which will report to NEC for further decision,’’ he explained.
The labour leader also said that the association had appointed Mr Shehu Muhammed, as its new treasurer after the suspension of Mrs Rehab Maigari, over anti-labour activities.
He added that Mr Joshua Apebo, had also been appointed as interim Secretary General, and would be confirmed on Jan. 1, 2023.
Apebo replaces the outing-going scribe, Mr Bashir Lawal, who finished the additional one year offered to him to serve after retirement. (NAN)
