The Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) has directed its members across the states of the federation to mobilise themselves on Monday, July 26, 2021, for a peaceful protest on what was termed “Neo-colonial policies of the FIRS management”.
This was contained in a letter signed by the NCSU’s Assistant Secretary-General, Comrade Dan Otakpo on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
According to the letter, the members are to assemble at their various state headquarters by 6 AM prompt for the protest.
The letter reads:
“Mobilisation of our members against obnoxious policies and draconian circulars.
“Following the decision of your management to proscribe our union and the continued refusal of same to come to a round table discussion on the welfare of workers in your department, I have been directed to request you to mobilise all our members in all states to the federation to simultaneously join in the peaceful protest on what could be described as Neo-colonial policies of the FIRS Management.
“They should get in touch with the various state councils of our union throughout the country for effective coverage and maximum success on Monday 26th July 2021 by 6 AM prompt, at their various headquarters.
” Please ensure compliance,” it said.
Find copy of the attached letter below:
This is coming days after the Board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) dissolved the Union and termed it illegal.
READ ALSO: FIRS board dissolves Staff Union, says it’s illegal
According to a report by Punch, the NCSU had in a letter on July 21, 2021, issued a 21-days ultimatum to the management of FIRS, demanded an end to the re-engagement of retired directors and other categories of staff.
The letter titled, “21 days’ ultimatum to FIRS management,” was signed by the Chairman, NCSU-FIRS Unit, Idris Abdulrahman; and the Secretary, Idowu Jimoh, respectively.
It was copied to the Minister of Finance, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU), Federal Council, the FIRS board secretariat and all FIRS staff.
The letter read in part, “In compliance with extant provisions/protocols on recruitment and career progression, we demand the immediate stoppage of re-engagement of retired directors and other categories of staff. We have noted that timely payment of salaries was a challenge at some point in 2021 after discrete recruitment of over 2,000 staff within a record period of less than 18 months.”
The union attributed the dwindling revenue collection in the country to the ‘’untimely implementation of the tax pro-max application by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.”
It said the implementation has had adverse effects on collections which ought to be high in June/July from analysis of records in the past.
While lauding the application which enables seamless registration, filing and payment of taxes and automatic credit of withholding tax as well as other credits to the taxpayers’ accounts, the Union faulted the timing of the implementation which it said coincided with the FIRS’ peak period for tax collection.
The Union, therefore, recommended that the application be done in phases while asking that the taxpayers should be allowed to file both electronically and manually.
The NCSU also handed down a 21-day ultimatum to the management to meet its various demands, including the payment of a general performance bonus for collecting 98.6 per cent of the 2020 revenue target.
But the FIRS spokesman, Abdullahi Sumaila, denied that the FIRS was finding it difficult to pay salaries, adding that the agency has been paying salaries as and when due.
“You would have seen protests if there was secret recruitment, which is not true. All I know is that they have been paying salaries as and when due,” he added.
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