The General Secretary of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Comrade Joshua Apebo, has called on the Federal Government to reintroduce gratuity payment to public service employees in treasury-funded ministries, departments and agencies.
He stated this at the 5th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of ASCSN in Lagos on Monday.
Apebo said, “Since the colonial era, gratuity has always been paid to public service employees as appreciation for their service rendered to the nation. However, the Pension Reform Act of 2004 has been silent on the issue of payment of gratuity to workers.
“Since the Act came into force, public service employees in treasury-funded MDAs and their counterparts in states that have adopted the new pension scheme have not been paid any form of gratuity, whereas private sector workers and other non-treasury funded and revenue generating MDAs have continued to receive gratuity from their employers despite the enactment of the 2004 Pension Reform Act.”
“We, therefore, request that gratuity to public service employees in treasury-funded MDAs be restored without further delay,” he stated.
The association also elected Comrade Shehu Muhammed as the new national president and he was elected unopposed to Tommy Okon.
The newly elected exco members were Comrade Olubunmi Fajobi as national vice president; Samson Okere as national vice president; Onjeh Enewa as national vice president; Archibong Okon as national vice president; Adebayo Haroun as national treasurer; and Shuaibu Afusatu as national internal auditor.
In his acceptance speech, the newly elected president, said, “ASCSN has faced ongoing challenges, and my primary goal is to enhance the welfare of our members by significantly improving their take-home pay, aiming to bring it closer to a living wage.
“Employers often focus only on the individual worker, neglecting their dependents. In Nigeria, workers usually support two to four dependents. The association is pushing for a living wage to better support workers and their families, which could help address the hunger driving many youths to protest. Many of these protesters are children of public and private sector workers.”
In his goodwill message, the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Nuru Toro, said, “The association has constantly demonstrated its commitment to social justice and the profession of civil servants. This conference comes at a critical time as the world of work continues to face unprecedented challenges, including the present economic downturn, and the ongoing working conditions of civil servants, among other issues.
“Despite these hurdles we are experiencing, the Association stands united in our resolve to ensure that the realisation of the new national minimum wage is fully implemented.”
He lauded the association for championing the rights of senior civil servants in Nigeria and advised them to remain focused on its shared goals and to collaborate to chart a course that would bring better achievable goals.
Earlier, the President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifor, emphasised that the union’s leadership was dedicated to serving and defending the interests of its members.
“As the largest affiliate of TUC, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria must safeguard our members’ interests. TUC will fully support the newly elected executives. Our presence here is to advocate for our members, particularly the vulnerable, who are struggling to survive. Ultimately, the voice of the people is what truly matters,” Osifor said.
He charged the new exco to put the interests of the association first.