By CHIMEZIE ANASO

The Anambra Government says there is no going back on the implementation of the pro-rata payment policy measure against Monday sit-at-home culture among civil servants in the state.

Mr Moses Okafor, Commissioner for Finance in Anambra said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Wednesday while speaking on the deductions from workers’ salaries for the month of February.

NAN reports that Anambra civil servants observed and complained of varying rates of deductions from their February salary without proper explanations.

But Okafor told NAN that the amounts deducted were for Mondays in which workers did not report for duties because they were observing sit-at-home.

He said his ministry was deliberate and systematic as it painstakingly went through the attendance lists taken and submitted by heads of ministries, departments and agencies to work out the amounts deductible.

He said Soludo was determined to ensure optimal productivity among workers in the state and would not condone civil servants drawing full salaries when they worked four out of five days in a week .

“The governor has directed that sit-at-home is over in Anambra and it is inclusive of everybody in Anambra, traders and civil servants alike to ensure that the state is open for business and government activities on Mondays.

“The deduction is not arbitrary, heads of MDAs are made to write and send Monday attendance which are taken every Monday and I take time to sign all the original copies before they are sent to payroll.

“He has said that markets should open and civil servants should report to work on Monday and anybody who does not adhere to this will be met with a pro-rata payment where the salary for Mondays they are absent will be deducted.

On complaints by some workers that they received less than N10,000 as salary, Okafor said that was for those who took loans and government mandate to service it from their pay.

He called on people who were not satisfied or clear with what they received to lodge a formal complaint for appropriate administrative redress.

Okafor said the pro-rata payment policy would continue for as long as people continued to stay away from work on Mondays as the Soludo administration would no longer encourage docility.

He said the policy was also applicable to heads of MDAs who must be at work to ensure religious implementation and success of the directive.

“Anybody who has genuine complaints should feel free to forward the same through their MDA heads for appropriate administrative action,” he said. (NAN)

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