WORKERS SET TO PICKET ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE OVER CUT IN FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVANTS SALARIES

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WORKERS SET TO PICKET ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE OVER CUT IN FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVANTS SALARIES

The National leadership of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) has resolved to picket the office of the Accountant General of the Federation by Wednesday 3rd April,2025 if the abysmal cut in the salaries of Federal Public Servants in Nigeria.

This was contained in a letter addressed to the office of the Accountant General of Federation dated 17th March,2025, vide JNPSNC GEN COR VOL 1/ 96, due to sharp cut and mutilated salaries paid in the months of January and February 2025 to Federal Public Servants

The letter titled Matters affecting cut in Salaries payment in the months of January and February 2025 for Federal Public Servants duly signed by Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga , the National Secretary of joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) and made available to newsmen in Abuja

The letter stated inter alia that “The attention of the National leadership of the joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Trade Union Side has been drawn to a press release issued by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation dated 7th March, 2025 bothering on the mutilated payment of salaries of Federal Public Servants for the months of January and February 2025.”

According to the letter, it explained that “the National leadership of JNPSNC had taken critical step to look into what Accountant General Office paid in the months of October, November and December 2024 which it claimed comprised the following: ”

1, Payment of arrears of Consequential Adjustments arising from the Minimum Wage Act 2024.

2, Payment of six months arrears of N35,000 Wage Award

3, payment of 25% and 35% increase in salary arrears .

These claims by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation is far from the truth, the letter declared.

The letter opined that “the diligent and scientific findings by the National leadership of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Trade Union Side vide comparative study of workers pay slips for the months of October, November and December indicated that the Federal Government only used the instrumentality of media propaganda to ditch out unsubstantiated information.”

“The truth of the matter is that Federal Government is owing Federal workers the underlisted outstanding payments: ”

1, The six (6) months outstanding Wage Award comprising February 2024 – July 2024 which will cease for payment as a result of agreement reached which inter alia stated that “payment of wage award will stop as soon as minimum wage payment commences” and minimum wage payments was expected to commence in the month of August 2024 ; the wage award payment is in line with a circular issued by the National Salaries ,Wages and income Commission vide SWC.04/T/33 dated 19th October, 2023

2, The National leadership of JNPSNC diligently studied the monthly salaries pay slips issued to cross section of Federal workers in the months under reference and indicated that there was nowhere it was stated that salary arrears arising from minimum wage was unambiguously inserted.

3, The claim that arrears of 25% and 35% salary harmonisation to core Federal Civil servants is very ambiguous and tantamount to the figment imagination of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation because there is an extant circular to the effect of this payment issued by the Office of the National Salaries, income and Wages Commission.

“In as much as, these circulars were duly issued and circulated to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs, it would have been honourable for the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to call the leadership of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC)Trade Union Side for dialogue to iron out grey areas (if any at all)”

“Arising from the above , it is very uncharitable for the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to chastise and rubbish Federal Public Servants with the press release without adequate consultation with the leadership of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Trade Union Side which is statutory body responsible for the representation of workers in the Public Service ”

“It is expedient to state that the payment of Peculiar Allowance which was supposed to be 40% of workers’ salaries but was surreptitiously short-changed by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation with abysmal payment which does not commensurate with the actual percentage stipulated in Federal Government circular issued during the former administration under former President Mohamodu Buhari. ”

“On the strength of the aforesaid, the office of the Accountant General of the Federation should, as a matter of urgency, do a thorough assessment of his claims and correct the anomalies and pay correct Salaries for Federal workers in the month of March 2025 alongside arrears of the mutilated salaries experienced by workers in the months of January and February 2025. ”

“Without mincing words, failure on the part of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to do the needful , by paying normal salaries in the month of March 2025 ( and arrears of short payments that characterised the months of January and February 2025 salaries)
workers will not hesitate to picket the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation , by Wednesday 3rd April, 2025, in order to correct the unwarranted and unjustifiable Salaries cut.”

The statement further stated that the offices of the: Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Chairman of income Salaries and wages commission, leaderships of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Presidents/ General Secretaries of affiliate unions of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Trade Union Side have been notified accordingly.