Anambra Workers Observe Sit-At-Home, Defy Governor Soludo’s Pay-Cut ‘Threats’

Many civil servants in Anambra State have stayed away from work, The Nation reports.

They stayed away from work in defiance of Governor Chukwuma Soludo‘s directive that they should resume work every Monday.

Soludo, at last May Day rally, described as deliberate absence of civil servants from duty under the excuse of sit-at-home, threatening to slash salaries of those who abscond from work on Mondays.

But a visit to State Secretariat in Awka, the state capital and other public institutions, including schools, banks and markets across the state shown low turnout of workers as most of the facilities were under lock.

Workers seen in few offices said they could make it to work because they came with their private vehicles, while others said they reside within the state capital.

Chairman chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Emeka Nwafor asked Soludo to provide workers coming to work to Awka, on Mondays with vehicles and security in view of the sit-at-home.

He described as suicidal, workers coming to work in Awka on Mondays from areas like Ihiala, Onitsha and Aguata with commercial vehicles without government’s assured security arrangements.

He said by so doing, workers would feel safe and comfortable to shun Mondays sit-at-home and continue and come to work on Mondays, as directed by the Governor.

Nwafor maintained that the vehicles would not only convey the workers to their respective offices, but take them back to their destinations at the end of the day.

He said: “It will be suicidal for workers coming from areas like Ihiala, Onitsha and Aguata to board commercial vehicles on Mondays to travel to Awka and go back after the day’s work without assured security arrangements by the government.

“If the Governor wants all the workers to be coming to work on Mondays, he should provide buses to convey workers to Awka every Monday and then provide security to guide and protect the workers at the Secretariat until the day is over and the vehicles would equally take the workers back to their respective destinations at the end of the day.

“Commercial vehicles are still afraid of plying the roads on Mondays for fear of being attacked by hoodlums enforcing the illegal sit-at-home.”

Chairman of Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU)  Paul Uwaeze, said government should refurbish all dilapidated office furniture and equipment to enhance productivity on the part of the workers, adding that government should stop imposing contractors on the workers to come and calculate their payroll for the workers.

Anambra chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Chinedu Nwabueze, solicited state government support in improving their services in the state.

He noted the association has introduced ambulance services for accident victims along the federal and state highways to save lives and properties.

On his part, Southeast Zonal Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), Dr. Austin Udeozor appealed to Soludo to recognize them as partners in progress, particularly in area of assisting government increase its internally generated revenue.