The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has warned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, not to toy with civil servants.
The General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi in a statement on Sunday called the plan to slash federal workers’ salaries “provocative’’.
On May 4, Zainab Ahmed, Finance Minister made the disclosure at the National Policy Dialogue on Corruption and Cost of Governance organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Ahmed announced that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) had been directed to review current salaries.
Ayuba Wabba, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President warned that the idea was tantamount to a “mass suicide”.
Commending the administration for paying salaries regularly, NASU said the move to embark on a pay cut would be victory for those determined to be insensitive to the plight of workers.
“Rather than leave workers to remain in their current state of want, they have decided to provoke and incite them against the same government they are working for.
“No government official who wishes Nigerian workers well and is interested in the peace of the country will advise on this line of policy direction at this time”, Adeyemi noted.
The union leader warned that citizens struggling with the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic should not be thrown into further misery.
He cited the high cost of living caused by hyperinflation, prices of food items, increases in electricity tariffs and the cost of petrol.
NASU called for the reduction of political office holders’ wages and the huge recurrent expenditure spent on them annually.
The body condemned the duplication of functions among ministers, ministers of state, special advisers, special assistants, heads of agencies and their retinue of personal staff.
Calling for the review of some government positions, Adeyemi recalled this was captured in the Public Sector Reforms report of the Adamu Fika Committee set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
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