The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on governors to implement the new minimum wage to improve the standard of living for their citizens.
Its Secretary-General, Comrade Joshua Apebo made the call during the fifth Quadrennial National Delegates Conference in Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the call became imperative against the backdrop of the increase in allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) after the removal of fuel subsidy,
Apebo also called for the restoration of gratuities to employees in Treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) without delay.
He noted the inclusion of pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in the review of pension rates of necessity, but added that the Pension Reform Act of 2004 was silent on gratuity payments.
He said since its enactment, employees in MDAs and their counterparts in states that have adopted the new pension scheme had not received any gratuity.
“We request that state governments implement the new national minimum wage to enhance the standard of living of 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,” Apebo said.
Also, the President, Trade Union Congress TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, noted that ASCSN was the largest affiliate of TUC and promised to protect the interest of the association.
A major highlight of the conference was the election of new executives.
Comrade Shehu Muhammed was elected as the new National President, while Comrade Adebayo Fajobi is the National Vice President, along with other 11 members of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the association.
Delegates were drawn from various organs of the union, including the units, branches and chapters across the Federation.
After deliberations on the state of the nation, as well as, trade union matters, the delegates lauded President Bola Tinubu for signing the National Minimum Wage Bill, 2024 into law.
On insecurity, the conference noted that such vices in various parts of the country had contributed to high-cost of living; since farmers were prevented from carrying out agricultural activities, urging the government to take steps to reduce the security challenges in the country.
This, it noted, would ensure that citizens go about their normal duties without fear or hindrances.
Osifo urged the new executives to put the interest of their members at heart.
