ASCSN Demands ₦300,000 Minimum Wage for Federal Workers, Rejects Temporary Reliefs

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on the Federal Government to immediately raise the minimum monthly salary of federal workers to ₦300,000, warning that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage is no longer sufficient to meet basic living expenses.

The association said the rising costs of food, transportation, electricity, healthcare and other essential services had significantly eroded workers’ purchasing power, making an urgent salary review necessary.

National President of ASCSN, Shehu Mohammed, made the demand on Thursday during the association’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, attended by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammadu Dingyadi.

Mohammed urged the Federal Government to move beyond temporary relief measures, including wage awards and palliatives, and implement a sustainable salary adjustment that reflects the prevailing economic realities.

Aligning with the position of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), he argued that temporary interventions could not provide lasting solutions to the financial difficulties confronting Nigerian workers.

He also expressed concern over the incomplete implementation of previous relief packages, particularly the 2023 wage awards, noting that the experience had weakened workers’ confidence in government interventions.

The ASCSN president insisted that the government should not wait until the next statutory minimum wage negotiation cycle before addressing the worsening financial situation of its workforce.

“Rather than waiting until the next statutory minimum wage negotiation cycle, we demand that the Federal Government should act immediately by raising the salary of its lowest-paid worker to N300,000, with appropriate consequential adjustments across higher salary grade levels,” Mohammed said.

Responding, Dingyadi called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and organised labour, stressing the need for dialogue and constructive engagement in resolving issues affecting workers’ welfare.

Speaking on the theme, ‘From Confrontation to Collaboration’, the minister maintained that disagreements between government and labour should be addressed through sustained dialogue rather than strikes and prolonged industrial disputes.

Meanwhile, workers in Osun State returned to work on Thursday following the suspension of a three-day warning strike organised by labour unions over the alleged withholding of local government allocations.

The gates of the Osun State Government Secretariat in Abere and the State House of Assembly, which had remained shut since Monday, were reopened as civil servants resumed their duties.

Workers also returned to the Olorunda and Osogbo local government secretariats.

Organised labour had directed workers on Sunday to embark on the solidarity strike in support of local government employees, demanding the release of council funds due from the Federal Government.

However, the unions called off the industrial action on Wednesday and directed workers to resume duty the following day.

Labour leaders subsequently commended workers, pensioners and affiliated unions for their support, cooperation and peaceful conduct throughout the strike.