The Anambra State Government has commenced salary deductions for civil servants who failed to report for duty on Mondays, in line with its earlier directive aimed at ending compliance with the sit-at-home order previously declared by separatist groups.
The state government had in January introduced a pro-rata salary payment system, warning that workers who stayed away from work on Mondays would have their wages adjusted accordingly. Governor Charles Soludo had also declared that the era of sit-at-home protests in the state was over, urging residents to resume normal activities.
However, discontent trailed the implementation of the policy on Monday as many civil servants expressed shock over substantial deductions from their February salaries after receiving bank alerts.
At the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat in Awka, several workers complained that the deductions did not correspond with the number of Mondays they were absent.
One civil servant, who requested anonymity, alleged that a colleague in his ministry received only N100 as February salary after deductions. Another staff member from the Ministry of Information reportedly earned just N3,500 out of his regular monthly salary of over N80,000.
According to him, some workers who missed work once or twice also experienced significant salary cuts, raising concerns about possible errors in the computation process.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, confirmed that the deductions were deliberate sanctions for failing to report to work on Mondays.
He explained that workers were required to clock in and clock out on Mondays as proof of attendance.
“If you came to work on Monday but failed to clock in and out, it would be assumed that you were absent because there is no evidence to show you were at work,” Mefor stated.
