The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has threatened to embark on strike if the federal government fails to pay the salaries of its workers.
General Secretary of the association, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, gave the warning yesterday in a statement issued to journalists.
“This year Christmas is bleak for the affected workers because there is no way government will pay the workers today (yesterday) since banks closed early”, said Lawal.
He continued: “As we write, information reaching the Union from informed quarters indicate that about 30 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will not pay December 2014 salaries to their employees”.
Lawal lamented that “since October 2014, the federal ministries of agriculture, education, works, labour and productivity as well as a host of other MDAs have not paid salary to their workers”.
The union, therefore, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to wade in and ensure that thousands of civil servants are paid their October, November and December salaries before the yuletide season is over so as to put smile on their faces.
The ASCSN also called on the government to use the N9.2 billion set-aside to purchase clean energy stoves for ‘rural women’ to offset the salary arrears.
“We cannot understand how N9.2 billion would be spent on stoves while workers who toil daily to keep the wheels of government functioning cannot be paid their meagre salaries”, the union lamented.
