Bayelsa
government has commenced its plans to downsize its workforce and directed
removal of 222 staff from its radio station and newspaper..
According
to a letter signed by Rev Thomas Zidafomo, Head of Service, Bayelsa addressed
to General Manager of Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation, the exercise is part of
ongoing public service reforms.
The
letter directed the management of the two media outlets to withhold and remit
the April salaries of affected workers to a special account at the Office of
the Accountant General of the State.
The
list showed that 86 staff of New Waves Newspaper and
136 workers from the Radio Bayelsa were affected from the list so far released
while employees of the state television station remain apprehensive.
The letter stated that the directive was
sequel to the setting up a committee by Gov Seriake Dickson on staffing and funding
of government establishments identified as over staffed.
“The Governor set up a committee to formulate
an overall policy on staffing and funding of these parastatals in the state.
“Based on the recommendation of that committee,
the government has directed that excess staff be depoyed away from these
parastatals with effect from April 2018.
“You are directed to notify the affected
staff of this decision and deposit their monthly salaries in the State Unpaid
Salary Account at the Office of Accountant-General commencing with April 2018.
“The affected staff should be advised to
present themselves to the Committee on Screening of Staff to verify their area
of professional competence for deployment exercise,” the Head of Service
stated.
The Baylesa government
said the ongoing public service reforms in the state was to eliminate endemic
employment racketeering and pay roll fraud in its public sector.
Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) had assured
the workers that they would not be thrown into the labour market adding that
the exercise would only affect those involved in employment fraud, redundancy
and truancy.
It will be
recalled that Bayelsa government had on November 7,2017 announced that it
withheld the October 2017 salary of some 4,202 civil servants suspected to be
involved in irregularities.
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