The Anambra State Government has implemented its earlier directive to deduct salaries of civil servants who failed to report for duty on Mondays amid the sit-at-home order imposed by separatist elements in the South-East.
In January, the state government announced the introduction of a pro-rata salary system, warning that workers who absented themselves from work on Mondays would face corresponding deductions from their monthly pay. The policy has now taken effect, with many civil servants expressing shock over the scale of the deductions after receiving their February salary alerts.
At the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat in Awka, several workers voiced concerns that the deductions did not align with the actual number of Mondays they reportedly missed. Some described the cuts as excessive and inconsistent.
One staff member in the Ministry of Information, who requested anonymity, disclosed that from a monthly salary of over N80,000, he received only N3,500 after deductions. He further revealed that a colleague allegedly received just N100 as her February salary following the implementation of the policy. According to him, some workers who missed work once or twice experienced significant salary reductions, raising questions about the accuracy of the computation process.
Another worker claimed that a colleague had N10,000 deducted from her salary despite limited absences. Several affected staff members suggested that errors may have occurred during the payroll calculations, noting disparities between individual attendance records and the amounts deducted.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, confirmed that the deductions were deliberate and formed part of disciplinary measures for non-compliance with the government’s directive.
He explained that workers were instructed to clock in upon arrival and clock out at the close of work every Monday to verify attendance. Failure to complete this process, he said, would be treated as absence due to lack of verifiable evidence of presence at work.
The development underscores the state government’s resolve to enforce workplace attendance despite ongoing sit-at-home disruptions in the region.
