By Chukwuma Umeorah
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged the federal government to ensure that the protection of the rights and interests of workers is made top priority, particularly in the area of policy formulation, social protection and provision of quality infrastructure.
President of ASCSN, Tommy Etim Okon, in an interview with Daily Sun accessing how the labour movement has fared in the past year, given harsh economic realities, stressed that the relevance of workers and the entire labour force in the country cannot be over emphasized as their impact is felt both in the formal and informal economy and across all sectors.
While commemorating the event of 2023 May Day celebration, Okon described the labour force as the engine that drives a nation, stating that their interest must be protected for Nigeria to attain economic prosperity.
This is even as he urged the incoming administration to make deliberate effort at addressing the plights of Nigerian workers harping strongly in the areas of infrastructure, security, provision of basic social amenities and formulation of worker-friendly policies including one where their offspring would benefit.
“Government needs to come up with a policy that enforces continuity of infrastructure development. In most cases, you discover that some government would abandon the project of previous administration to start a new one. When there is continuity and sustenance in infrastructural development, Nigeria would develop faster,” he explained.
Okon stressed that the government needed to pay particular attention to the productive economy and do all it takes to stem insecurity.
“The incoming government must not be sectional in addressing issues or just paying lip service to security matters. This is because wherever there is security of life and properties, there will be economic prosperity,” he opined.
In addition, he stated that that social security must be guaranteed for workers up to the extent where their offspring could benefit. According to him, “The offspring of the workers must benefit in terms of free and compulsory education. Because when there is free education for them, the worker would not be bothered on how to raise money for his children’s education, thereby giving him the opportunity to become more productive.
In the area of policy formation, Okon advised that government avoided policies that are alien to Nigeria, but rather design and implement policies that would conform to the local clime and provide workable solution to Nigeria.
He added that Nigerians were not asking for too much as they are very hardworking and productive if given the conducive economic environment. “Tame insecurity and provide them with the basic amenities, give them what they need, and the informal economy would boom,” he charged.
Government cannot give jobs to everybody, what they need to do is to create an enabling environment and a lot of people would be gainfully employed,” he added.
As part of its commitment to improving businesses and workers welfare in the country, Okon noted that the ASCSN as a trade union movement has been at the fore of cooperate-social dialogue with the government as the association played a viable role in the recently implemented 40 percent peculiar allowance for workers.
“When the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) led the CWC members to meet with the president last year, it was discovered that there was a huge gap between other agencies of government and the core civil servants in terms of the pay package. The government decided to set up a presidential committee on harmonization to bridge that gap. Hence the 40 percent peculiar allowance,” he explained.
He said that the allowance was encouraging to workers, advising the incoming government to take a cue from such positive actions that advance workers’ interests, especially with the negotiation of pay rise next year.