…Clears air on salary deductions
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Abia State Government, said it had already set up a committee to look into the N70, 000 new minimum wage, adding that provisions are being made to accommodate salary increase across other cadres of workers.
Gov. Alex Otti who disclosed this during a media parley Friday night, said the state was engaging with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, with a view to agreeing on a workable pay based on the meagre resources.
He said: “You know the minimum wage announcement was just about the minimum wage of N70,000.What that means is that every other person’s salary would go up.
“So, it is not just going to be a minimum wage for civil servants every other salary would be adjusted accordingly.
“My team and the Nigeria Labour Congress are already engaging to work out a solution that will be practicable and within the state’s meagre resources.”
Otti said that the government had placed the issue of the new minimum wage on the front burner.
“As we even prepare for a review of the budget after the virement, we are already making provisions for increase of salaries on the basis of the new minimum wage,” he said.
On alleged illegal deductions from workers’ salaries, the Governor said that investigation revealed that the allegation was false.
“We conducted investigations in response to the complaints by some civil servants about deductions in their salaries.
“The investigation revealed that the switch from the use of 2018/2019 tax rate to the current tax rate for workers was responsible for the difference.
“A lot of people who felt their salaries were being reduced, when we investigated those complaints, we found that what happened was that before now an old tax rate was being applied.
“The 2018/2019 tax rate was being applied and there was a 2021/2022 tax law, which of course, has come into effect.”
The Governor explained that it would be difficult for any Government official to slash salaries of workers, wondering which account the said deductions would be paid into as salaries are paid directly from Government account to beneficiary’s accounts.
“I find it difficult to accept that somebody is pinching salaries, then how do you even do it, because the money leaves the account of the state and hits the account of the beneficiary.
“So, at what point would somebody deduct the salaries, and if you deduct, where do you take it to?”
The Governor also said that the government had investigated the complaint about salary disparity in some Local Government Areas of the state and “we found that it is not true.”
He said that the government had evolved a policy that allows the payment of overtime allowance to a civil servant that performs “overtime duties,” based on the request of the government.
“If you were getting paid overtime and you were getting some overtime now the government says you are not supposed to work overtime.
“Except if there is a need for that and it is the government that would ask you to do that.I think that is what people are mistaking for salary being deducted.”
