Union Decries Public Workers’ Salary Deduction

The Joint Public Service Negotiating Council has
decried  the 24 months arrears salary
deduction as part of the Rivers State Government’s social services contributory
levy from civil servants.

Speaking to The Tide in an exclusive interview, the council
chairman, Comrade Emecheta Chukwu said public servants workers in the state
were surprised at such huge deduction from their salaries.

He said the directive from the state’s Board of Internal
Revenue signed by King Davie N. Adamgbo (JP) Director (SSCTF department) for
the Board’s chairman in Circular No SSGL/PH/Vol.3/12 dated Ist August 2012
was  ill-conceived as it did not discuss
the modality of such deduction with the council.

Comrade Chukwu said the huge deduction for 24 months had
affected the public servants in the state in view of their living conditions,
astronomical prices of things and their children school fees.

He appealed to the state government for the immediate
stoppage of further salary deduction pending a workable formula for such
deduction with the workers representatives.

The Joint Council’s boss said the council members are
prepared for dialogue with the state government before further commencement of
deduction of the workers salary.

“Our doors are open for dialogue and negotiation as we can’t
fold our hands for indiscriminate deduction of the public servants salary,” he
said.

He further said the chairman of the Board of Internal
Revenue must be sensitive to the workers plight.

However, investigation by The Tide revealed that the
deduction from the public servants salary for September 2012 was for 16 months
as most workers at thesState secretariat said there was no deduction from their
August 2012 salary.

The investigation revealed that in a circular dated 10th
August 2012 with reference No RST/9051/Vol. 8/47 signed by D. R. Abere for the
Accountant General, Rivers State directed the Director Computer/Head Auto
Payroll, Ministry of Finance to effect the deduction  from September 2010 – July 2012 and should be
covered installmentally. August 2012, 8 months deduction, September 2012, 8
months deduction, October 2012, 8 months deduction, November 2012, 8 months
deduction and December 2012, 8 months deduction. This therefore covered a
period of 40 months.

Public servants in public service on Grade level 01-06 are
to pay N300, Grade level 07-10 to pay N500, Grade level 12-14 to pay N1,000
while Grade level 15 and above to pay N2,000 for social services contributory
levy under section 1 (3) law setting up the agency.

Meanwhile, the state Governor Chibuike Amaechi has defended
the salary deduction of public servants in the state for the social services
contributory levy.

The Governor said the salaries deduction is to enable
government provide those basic things
that the people need, stressing that his administration would give
account of how the funds were spend to justify the commitment of his
administration to transparency and good governance.

Philip Okparaji