Misintepretation Of Salary Structures Worries HOS

The Rivers State Head of Service (HOS), Barrister Samuel LongJohn has expressed concern over the flagrant misinterpretation of the different salary structures in the state public service.

Barrister LongJohn stated this when the executive members of the State chapter of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Port Harcourt.

He noted with disgust, a situation where some workers earned salaries they were not entitled to under the guise of the Medical and Health Workers Salary Structure, ‘describing it as ‘haemorrhage’ on the state government.

The Head of Service cited instances where in a ministry of 300 workers, 154 of them earn salaries of Grade level 17 while in other cases, Confidential Secretaries and other categories of staff earn as much as Permanent Secretaries, stressing that “if the situation is not checked, the state government may be unable to pay salaries as and when due.”

Barr. LongJohn said a Committee comprising labour unions and other relevant agencies would soon be set up to address the situation before it gets out of control.

Responding to issues raised by the Union, the Head of Service said the circular on the tenure policy was to state the position of government stressing that a three month retirement notice would be issued to affected staff by the Civil Service Commission.

On the delay in payment of retirement benefits, . LongJohn said part of the problem was caused by retirees who failed to process their documents on time while some fellow civil servants had turned themselves into ‘contractors’ for processing of pension documents by making money from the sufferings of the retirees.            He said to facilitate the documentation process, arrangements had been concluded to set up a ‘one stop shop’ for pension documentation to be located at the Ground Floor of Podium Block where all agencies charged with the responsibility would be housed.

The Head of Service also promised to look into other issues such as the Iriebe Housing Estate, Medical and Health Workers in the LGAs, vehicles for Union members, the implementation of the new personal income tax, the social service levy and the payment of counterpart funding by some parastatals.

Earlier, the state Chairman of JPSNC, Comrade Emecheta Chuku expressed appreciation over his appointment as Head of Service describing him as a good Ambassador of Civil Servants who is committed to the welfare of workers and commended him for the way he tackled the threat of strike action by workers on the eve of his appointment.