Finance Minister Meets Unions
The Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has met with staff unions at the Ministry of Finance to discuss the dispute over additional payments for Ministry of Finance civil servants.
A statement yesterday explained that in her role as minister, Adeosun wanted the staff to present their grievances in a structured and articulated manner so that each issue would be formally presented and addressed on a point by point basis.
It stated that while she expressed understanding for the Ministry of Finance staff who felt they should get additional bonuses, based on their past dealings with the previous administration, she pointed out that many people across the country were struggling to find work or losing their jobs, adding, fellow civil servants in many states are not getting their salaries, however, this is not the case at the Federal level. The collective priority, therefore, must be on working together to get the whole economy back on its feet.
She pointed out that the federal government has to borrow to pay the N165 billion a month needed to cover civil service salaries.
All of government departments now face a very real squeeze in finances as the country grapples with the financial crisis inherited from previous administrations, she added.
The minister urged union leaders to bring forward ideas on how the Ministry could generate additional funds and create a structure to pay bonuses, and asked the Director of Administration to review all the claims and present solu- tions for all legitimate claims relating to working materials and ensure that such claims are resolved immediately through the ministry’s processes.
In addition, “the minister said that the most important thing for management and staff was to get a common understanding of what the government needed to do to regain financial stability.
She said she wanted to work with staff to see how, together, those plans could be implemented as quickly as possible, thereby stimulating growth within a new diversified economy.
“The minister asked workers to consider that further lock-out of the ministry has the consequences of delaying FAAC meeting which would impact on all Nigerians and the payment of June 2016 salary; which could alienate people from the Ministry,” it added.