Civil Servants Threaten Strike Over Proposed Wage Deregulation - Politics - Wabsodlink

Civil servants, under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, have protested against the planned deregulation of wages by the National Assembly. The workers submitted that the action would complicate the security challenges in the country, describing the move as a declaration of war against civil servants. The group said it would join other affiliates of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and Nigeria Labour Congress to commence an indefinite strike over the planned exercise. “This time around, it is not going to be business as usual. We will mobilise millions of Nigerian workers, including other oppressed citizens as well as the international community to resist this negative action of members of the National Assembly in Nigeria because this country belongs to all of us. “It is important to note that Nigeria does not belong to political office holders alone but to all Nigerians including workers,” the ASCSN threatened. According to ASCSN, the decision of the National Assembly to remove wage and other labour issues from the exclusive list to the concurrent list will amount to impoverishment of Nigerian workers. A statement on Wednesday in Abuja by the National President of ASCSN, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, and Secretary-General, Mr. Alade Lawal, called for “a total resistance of the move by the National Assembly to further impoverish Nigerian workers by outlawing the meagre national minimum wage through the backdoor.” The association said, “We urge the trade union movement, the civil society groups, religious leaders, royal fathers, and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the National Assembly to reverse its decision to deregulate wages in the interest of peace in the country. “It is surprising that the National Assembly wants to complicate the security challenges in the country by inviting millions of Nigerian workers to take to the streets by its insensitive decision to deregulate wage. “The monthly take home pay of each member of the National Assembly is about N30m. Yet, they are pained that Nigerian workers receive N18,000 monthly minimum wage, which is about $109 per month.” http://www.punchng.com/news/civil-servants-threaten-strike-over-proposed-wage-deregulation/