Bayelsa government to sack absentee workers, pay roll fraudsters

…Labour Kicks

Even as state and local government workers groan over the hardship caused by months of unpaid salaries in Bayelsa state, the State Advisory Committee on Public Service Reforms ‎has confirmed that it will not hesitate to sack workers who absent themselves from work or engage in pay roll fraud.

Chairman of the state advisory committee on public service reform and the paramount ruler of Twon-Brass Kingdom, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff, confirmed this during an interactive meeting between members of the committee and relevant stakeholders in Brass local government area. He revealed that the ongoing reforms have shown that some workers would be sacked.

However, the Bayelsa state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said labour was not in support of such, considering the fact that government was owing workers several months, especially local government workers up to 13 months.

The NLC scribe in the state, Comrade Torukeregha Dimipre, in a telephone chat, said the NLC expected the state government to be more polite to the workers in the face of the hardship they face without salaries for months.

Spiff, who is also the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers noted that funds made available to the various councils are supposed to be used for developmental projects and not only for salaries.

Also speaking at the event, the Vice-Chairman of the committee, Chief Francis Doukpola and the Secretary, Dr. Felix Tuodolor stated that any civil servant that does not want to work does not deserve pay, stressing that even private companies do not tolerate such indiscipline/conduct. He also maintained that henceforth any staff that flouts the policy would be penalized accordingly.