The stoppage of block payment of annual leave allowance and implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme took the centre stage recently as federal civil servants demanded that the allowance policies be reviewed.
This and others topped discussion at the Mirage Hotel in Calabar during an interactive session between the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs and civil servants based in Cross River State.
The event, which had in attendance civil servants cutting across all cadre including paramilitary agencies, was declared open by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita.
A civil servant with the National Bureau of Statistics, Mr. A.C Emmanuel, had noted that the stoppage of the bulk payment of annual leave grant to federal workers was not in their best interest.
He urged the ministry concerned to review the policy, saying civil servants had in the past always looked forward to receiving the bulk payment of the leave allowance with joy, instead of the present piecemeal approach.
Emmanuel said, “What went wrong with the lump payment of leave grants to civil servants that we had always looked forward to receiving? We do not want this piecemeal approach. This is an issue that we want reviewed.”
Another civil servant with the Industrial Training Fund, Mr. Odudu Ukpong, said the implementation of the NHIS should be reviewed to give option of receiving health allowances to workers who do not key into the policy.
“Government should seek opinion of civil servants whether they like the policy of not. Some of us would still want to be receiving our health allowances instead of this deduction for NHIS which some of us hardly use.”
In her response to issues raised, the permanent secretary, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said the complaints of the workers had been noted and would be discussed with relevant authorities.
She, however, said most of the policies including that on NHIS, Pencom, among others were tabled with relevant stakeholders before they were passed into law.
In her opening address, Oyo-Ita said the interactive session was based on a directive from the Head of Service to discuss with federal civil servants in various states the ongoing reforms of the civil service and the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
She discussed the transformation programmes in the agriculture, transport, road construction, power, aviation and education sectors.
In the transport sector for instance, Oyo-Ita pointed out that the Federal Government has spent a total of N1.397 trillion for construction and rehabilitation of roads.
She said said the amount was spent through the Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Road Maintenance Agency for 195 projects across the six geo-political zones of the country.
Copyright PUNCH.
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