Welfare of Civil Servants, a right not a privilege -FG

The Federal Government on Wednesday said that the current administration sees the provision of a conducive work environment to its workforce and prompt payment of salaries as a right and not a privilege.

Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary at the Service Welfare Office at Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation said the federal government has reviewed its industrial relations policy to engender harmony and enhanced productivity by civil servants.

Walson-Jack told newsmen on the sidelines of the ongoing Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council in Yenagoa that the federal government has adopted a new approach to improve welfare of civil servants.

She said that under the new approach, the government sees the welfare of its workforce as a priority by ensuring regular consultation with labour leaders to reduce friction at the work place, and making strikes unecesary.

"It is the belief of the federal government that Nigerian workers have a right to a safe and conducive working environment as well as enhanced welfare package, inluding regular payment of salaries, it is a right and not a privilege.

"However, labour leaders must show understanding in view of the economic challenges before us, our new approach is to see government and labour as part of the team working for the delivery of service to Nigerians, it is no longer we against them.

"We are all part of the team playing together in the same team and we shall win together and we should encourage civil servants to change their attitude to work and justify their salaries," Walson-Jack said.


President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba had in his remarks to delegates to the three day event observed that workers were fundamental partners in the wealth creation process and deserved to be renumerated adequate as partners in progress.

He however expressed regrets that the negotiations for a new national minimum wage was yet to commence even as the economic funamentals were changing.

Wabba said at the ongoing Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council in Yenagoa that the prevailing economic scenario including the devaluation of the naira.

"It is a matter of concern that up till now, the negotiations for a new minimum wage is yet to start, as at the time the last time the last one was signed, the exchange rate of  naira to the dollar was about N110 but todady it is around N360.

"It is our desire that negotiations should commence in earnest as the economic scenario has been very harsh for the Nigerian workers, we urge the government to fast track the process," Wabba said.