Abuja (9News Nigeria) – The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has reaffirmed its confidence that the Federal Government will honor its commitment to pay arrears of the wage award to workers. This assurance was disclosed in a press release made available to 9News Nigeria following an interview granted by the ASCSN National President, Mr. Shehu Mohammed, to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
Mr. Mohammed highlighted the progress made during negotiations for the new minimum wage, emphasizing that the wage award was a key component of the agreement. He stated that workers would receive their arrears because the issue of the wage award was raised during negotiations. Approval was shown that the wage award would continue until the payment of the minimum wage took effect.
He further revealed that recent discussions with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continue the payment of wage awards, even after implementing the minimum wage.
The labour leader confirmed that the implementation of the new minimum wage has already begun and will include the payment of arrears to all Federal Government workers, whether in the civil service, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), or the private sector. He assured that arrears would be paid with effect from July, the month the president assented to the bill, and emphasized that there was no going back on the decision.
While the ASCSN initially advocated for arrears to be paid alongside the commencement of the new wage, the union opted against it to avoid delays in implementation.
Mr. Mohammed also called for the introduction of a 13th month salary for core civil servants, citing the increasing economic hardship in the country. He argued that no group deserved it more, especially considering the economic difficulties that coincided with the minimum wage implementation.
The ASCSN’s assurances come as workers across the nation await the full implementation of the Federal Government’s commitments, particularly as inflation continues to impact purchasing power.
9News Nigeria
