Fides Media Living the Faith
By Sunny A. Ijomah
The Anambra State Head of Service, Barrister Theodora Igwegbe, has charged the leadership of Labour Unions to support government’s agenda to enhance rapid actualization of planned workers’ welfare packages.
Barrister Igwegbe made the call during the State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (SJPSNC) Meeting held at the Committee Hall of the Office of the Head of Service, Awka.
The Head of Service, who is also the Chairman of the State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, called on the Labour Leaders to work as a team with the present administration to tackle challenges faced by workers which they had presented to her office on different occasions and restated her commitment towards promoting transparency, accountability and efficiency in the Civil Service.
She highlighted issues like the review of the Pension Law and assured the Labour Leaders that not a penny of the contributed pension of the state’s workers would be lost to the Pension Funds Administrators, having consulted widely on the issue.
The HOS also assured them that the government had since started to contribute it’s 10% counterpart funds to the pension scheme from the inception of Governor Soludo’s Administration and equally reassured workers that the three months deductions from workers’ salaries for recapitalization of the Ndiolu Microfinance Bank had been deliberated upon and that if the planned recapitalization failed, the monies would be refunded to the workers.
Barrister Igwegbe assured the Labour Leaders that the Administration of Professor Soludo remained committed to solving the workers’ housing problems through accessing the Federal Mortgage funds and affirmed that the workers of the defunct Anambra Water Corporation Board were not left out in the government’s plan, affirming that they would receive their entitlements following the out of court settlement that had been embarked on.
She also explained her efforts towards bringing workers promotion up to date as a way of correcting the anomaly she met on ground at the inception of office and advised the Labour Leaders to always ensure they passed through proper channels when any need arose.
Responding, the Vice Chairman, JNC, representing the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Edith Onwuka, expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the government in solving the matters raised by workers in the state and commended the Head of Service for restoring unity in the JNC; as well as Governor Soludo for being responsive to the yearnings of the people.