By Nanzing Tao
[T]he Head of Civil Service of the Federation Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita on Monday expressed federal government’s determination to provide improved welfare packages and conducive environment for Nigerian workers to help drive the change agenda of the present administration.
Mrs. Oyo-Ita said this at a town hall meeting with members of the Joint Union Negotiating Council (JUNC) at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Abuja.
She said the decision was necessary in order to provide effective and efficient service to Nigerians.
She said government is not unaware of the deplorable facilities at various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which hinders workers from performing their duties diligently, adding that necessary steps have been taken to address the problem.
The Head of Service assured that the present administration was committed to the provision of better welfare services for workers so as to help ameliorate their sufferings, particularly in the area of provision of decent and affordable accommodation.
She said modalities are being worked out on how workers could own personal homes through the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme.
On the issues of pension and other financial entitlements of workers, Mrs. Oyo-Ita assured that all matters relating to pensions and other financial entitlements of workers would soon be resolved.
The Head of Service called on workers to imbibe the highest level of discipline, shun all forms of corrupt practices and strictly operate according to the Public Service Rules (PSR).
In his remarks, president of Joint Union Negotiation Council (JUNC) in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Chapter, Comrade Olaiya Bisola Sunday appealed to the Head of Service to explore all possible enhancing welfare of workers in order to boost their morale for effective service delivery.
He said civil servants have remained the only workers whose take home pay cannot afford them a descent accommodation, not to talk of having a house of their own even after 35 years of serving the country.
He expressed dismay over how a civil servant who retires from service after attaining 60 years of age would depart service without even receiving his gratuities for the next one year not even to talk of his monthly pension.
