The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has allayed the fears of workers in the public service that their salaries would be slashed as planned by some state governors.

The Secretary-General of the ASCSN, Mr Bashir Lawal, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos the governors’ plan salary slash would not materialise.

Lawal, who spoke against the plans by the governors to slash the salaries of workers, urged them not be afraid of being sacked.

“The governors’ plan is a ploy to put asunder organised labour’s effort to push forward the new demand for upward review of the minimum wage.

“On retrenchment, workers should go to sleep, nothing of such will happen.

“And on the issue of downward reduction of workers’ salary, they should go and sleep because it will not happen.”

He said that labour leaders were hopeful on the efforts being made to get an increase in workers’ salary since it had to do with negotiation.

“There will be representatives from all sides of the government, from the federal to local government. We have our data; we will put it before them.

“Government can counter it or if they have argument let them put it across. By law, minimum wage is a wage that can keep the workers afloat.”

“He noted that the current N18,000 earned by workers in the country was not able to sustain them.”

The unionist added that if any one decided to reduce it, such a person would be making a mockery of the workers.

He said it was time for political office holders, especially governors not to depend solely on the allocation from the federal government alone.

“As elected officers, they should look at the income and expenditure of their states before they are elected.

“They should know the wage bill, overhead expenses, revenue generation of their states and know how to source for revenue.

“You cannot go to the government house and be lazy. We are in the 21st century and we will hold leaders accountable for whatever they are doing.”

Lawal also said that the government could pay above the minimum wage if corruption was curtailed. (NAN)

•Photo shows Governors’ Forum Chairman, Abdulaziz Yari.

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