The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has told the Federal Government to address the salary disparity in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Head of the ASCSN Secretariat in Abuja, Mr Isaac Ojemeke, made the call at a seminar, organised by the ASCSN unit in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The seminar was entitled: “Effective Labour-Management Relation: A Panacea for Industrial Peace and Harmony’’.
Ojemeke said that the call became imperative, following the 30-man Tripartite Committee, recently inaugurated by the Federal Government for the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage.
He said it was important that the committee also looked into the issue of disparity across the MDAs, while negotiating the minimum wage.
“We have agencies that are earning so much while others are earning at the bottom level. We believed that we are all graduates and products of the same federal or state institutions.
“That is whether they are called parastatals or departments, we are being paid from the same purse and the same employers but with different salary scales.
“We believe that this is what has increased corruption because if you look at your colleagues in other agencies earning higher than you who is even putting much effort, you feel discouraged.
“From our finding, this a major issue that needs to be looked into seriously as it increases corruption. So, we are calling on government to tackle this corruption headlong. There must be closure in that disparity gap.’’
Ojemeke also assured members of the association that the body would continue to ensure that workers’ welfare and social justice were looked into.
Earlier, Mr Tommy Etim-Okon, the Chairman of the ASCSN in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, called the tripartite committee to consider the plight of workers by approving the N56, 000 recommended by labour.
“Workers are deeply affected by economic realities because their salary has been stagnant and we all go to the same market with the high and mighty.
“So if this administration really wants to fight corruption, they should see minimum wage not at the point of the proposed N56, 000 because it cannot pay our children school fees.
“So, we want to plead with the Federal Government and the 30-man committee to ensure that the new minimum wage is not below N56, 000.’’
Etim-Okon said the seminar was organised to challenge members and the management of MDAs on the need to create conducive working environment in their organizations.
According to him, no nation can thrive in an unfriendly industrial relations environment.
Also Mr Bolaji Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, called on the union to embrace collective bargaining for industrial harmony to reign in the work place.
Adebiyi noted that the ministry had faced a lot of strikes in the past few months, noting that issues raised were on agreements entered by the previous administration.
He, however, assured workers that the present administration through the ministry was working towards ensuring that all issues were resolved for the benefits and welfare of workers.
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