The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji has directed Permanent Secretaries to immediately commence discussions with representatives of labour unions in their Ministries and agree on modalities for the payment of entitlements due to civil servants.
The Head of Service said this when he met with the executive committee members of the Joint Union Negotiating Councils and their representatives in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.
Alhaji Goni Aji explained that the accumulation of unpaid entitlements must have resulted from the short-fall in fund allocation to MDAs, which could also be attributed to the prevailing economic situation in the country. He enjoined all civil servants to relate with the management with understanding and tolerance and urged the union members to ensure that the right attitudes are adopted during negotiations.
The representatives of the Unions from various MDAs who spoke at the forum have complained to the Head of Service about the backlog of unpaid entitlements to civil servants such as transfer allowance, promotion arrears and overtime allowance, among others.
The Head of Service also approved the request that executive members of Labour Unions in the Federal Civil Service should henceforth not be transferred from the Ministries where they have been elected into Union positions during their tenure.
The Union members applauded the gesture of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for calling the meeting which they described as unprecedented and one which has gone a long way in dousing the mounting tension in the Service. They assured the Head of Service that whenever negotiation becomes difficult in any MDA, his Office will be informed before any action is taken.
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