The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) is to lose nothing less than 15,000 workers due to the recent take over of its primary duty to produce and issue stamp by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS).
To this end, the workers have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike; threatening to withdraw their services across the country after a 21-day ultimatum issued on Thursday, July 18, 2020.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), who is the trade union unionising both NIPOST and FIRS workers, said: “the FIRS on 30th June 2020 against any known law produced and launched its owned brand of adhesive stamp thereby hijacking and taking over the function of NIPOST.”
The General Secretary of SSASCGOC, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi, while addressing the press conference said it was illegal for FIRS to produce and issue a stamp to denote duties when it can be procured from NIPOST.
If this is allowed to go on, he said the usurpation of the main duty of NIPOST will lead to about 15,000 job loss, adding that the union would not accept this as there is no known law that gives FIRS to produce a stamp.
Comrade Olorunfemi said,
“in respect to job loss, we will not lose anything less than 15,000 workers and when you look at that, the multiplier effect on the economy and the saturation of unemployment market, you will know that it will be a catastrophe waiting to happen and we have said we will not allow that to happen.”He added: “To this end, we are calling on the federal government to facilitate an urgent meeting between NIPOST, FIRS, SSASCGOC and other stakeholders in order to arrive at an amicable resolution.Failure to do this within 21 days from today Thursday 8th July 2020, the Union shall have no other option than to direct all its members in NIPOST to withdraw their services.“It is very painful that while other nations are protecting and developing their postal services and making maximum use of the services for advancement, Nigeria is busy doing things that will kill its own.”
He pointed out that stamp is a product of NIPOST as given to it by law, adding that the Financial Act did not give any power to FIRS to produce a stamp.
