By our staff reporter
Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, KW-IRS, and the senior staff of the agency, are on a war path over welfare of the staff.
The agency’s Unit of the Association Of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has rejected the upward review of salaries of staff of the agency.
It noted that the unilateral decision of the Management does not align with the salary scales of sister revenue agencies in other states.
In a press statement signed by the Chairman of KW-IRS unit of ASCSN, Ahmad Salman Dayo, the union said the ‘unilaterally’ adopted salary scale for junior staff, announced by the KW-IRS Management on 7th of October 2022, via a virtual field feedback held at about 10:00am was not acceptable as it is against the spirit of ongoing negotiations between the Union and the management.
The statement partly reads “On the 17th of August, 2022, at about 4:00pm, the staff held a Congress where a 5-man committee on salary review was constituted to work with the union on proposed salary scale for staff and communicated same to the management with a five- day ultimatum for the latter to consider same. This assignment was carried out perfectly.
“On Thursday, the 25th of August 2022 at about 3:30pm, before the ultimatum issued against the management lapsed, a meeting was conveyed at the Instance of the management for the purpose of salary review, comprising the management team, the union executive and the adhoc 5-man committee nominated through the congress.
“The Union presented copy of its proposed salary review scale to the management and after serious deliberation, the executive chairman of the KW-IRS resolved that the union executive should meet with the Director Administration and Operation and Head Human Resources to work on a reasonable salary S scale to all staff.
“Several correspondences were exchanged with the management over this issue as stated in paragraph (3)but the usual response was that:” management is working on the salary scale.
“The Union became skeptical about this development, because we were put in the dark as to what percentage or Scale the management is purportedly working on.
“On the 29th September, 2022, at about 10:30am the Director AOP and Head of HR called the union to a meeting, where we were presented with a proposed salary review scale unilaterally prepared by the management.
“The management said that if the union agreed, it will hasten up implementation. We asked for stand-down of the meeting to consider the table thoroughly.
“On the same date, we called the 5-man committee on salary review nominated by the congress to consider the proposed percentage of the salary scale presented by the Management.
“After going back and forth, It was resolved that the proposed percentage used by the management was not acceptable to the staff.
“Moreso, at about 3:00pm of the 29th September, 2022 we reconvened with the Director AOP, Head HR and communicated the staff’s rejection of the proposed percentage of salary review scale unilateraly adopted by the Management.
The union re-presented another proposed salary increment table lower than what we presented initially, for management’s consideration, so as to meet at a point of equilibrium.
“However, On Friday the 7th of October 2022, management announced the proposed unilaterally adopted salary review scale as compensation to Junior staff via a virtual field feedback held at about 10:00am.
“All efforts by the Union to make the management see the reason for the proposed increment to be reasonable and stand the test of time proved abortive.
“Union also made efforts to see if a valid agreement could be reached, so that we can have something to rely on in future, incase we need to agitate for more, if this is what the Management budgetted for now, it also proved abortive.
“Finally, staff of KW-IRS have no gratuities at the moment, so her salaries cannot be justified with the Ministries.
” It is justifiable if we are compared with our sister revenue agencies.
“On 7th of October, 2022, the union held its congress at about 4:00pm to further brief the general staff of all efforts it had put in place on the vexed matter.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the agency, in Ilorin on Sunday proved abortive.
