Anambra Govt Deducts Workers’ Salaries Over Sit-at-Home

The Anambra State Government has deducted salaries of civil servants who failed to report to work on Mondays in Awka and other parts of the state, following its earlier warning over compliance with the sit-at-home order in the South-East.

The deductions were applied to February salaries and were received by workers on Tuesday through bank payments.

The action affects workers who stayed away from duty on Mondays despite the government’s directive that all offices must operate fully.

The state government had in January announced a pro-rata salary system. Under the arrangement, any worker who did not come to work on Mondays would have pay reduced according to the number of days missed.

The measure was introduced as part of efforts to stop the continued observance of the sit-at-home order enforced by separatist groups in the region.

After salaries were paid, many workers at the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat in Awka complained about heavy deductions. Some said the amounts removed from their wages were higher than expected.

A number of civil servants reported that the figures did not match the number of Mondays they were absent.

One worker in the Ministry of Information said his monthly pay of over N80,000 was reduced to about N3,500 after deductions.

He also disclosed that a colleague reportedly received only N100 as salary for February. Others claimed that some workers who missed work once or twice still had large amounts cut from their earnings.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, confirmed that the salary reductions were penalties for not reporting to duty on Mondays.

He explained that workers were instructed to clock in on arrival and clock out at the end of the day to prove they were present.

According to him, failure to follow that process would be treated as absence because there would be no record to confirm attendance.

The government insists that the policy is meant to ensure that public servants carry out their duties and that government offices remain open despite the sit-at-home calls.

Meanwhile, affected workers continue to express concern over the scale of the deductions as discussions continue within the state workforce.