By Austin Ogwuda
Leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Delta says the battle line has been drawn since Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration is insisting on the enforcement of the newly out dress code for Civil Servants.
Delta NLC Chairman, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku, speaking for the second time since issuance of the Circular on dress code called on the workers to maintain the status quo by refusing to comply despite clarifications by Commissioner Charles Aniagwu in connection with the the matter, on Monday.
Ofobruku boldly asked the workers not to comply but rather charged them to be free to report any act of intimidation or punishment to him for appropriate action.
The State NLC boss stated this while speaking with newsmen in Asaba on Monday.
His words:
”If they insist that they (government) want to punish our people, we also know what to do. Anything we are doing, it is guided be law.
“Whatever labour is doing is guided by the Labour Act and the Trade Dispute Act. The law says where we disagree with government and government fails to see reason with us, we declare dispute with them. That is what the law says, so we are following the law. But we believe that the Civil Service Rules say we should not dress in a way that is inappropriate. We believe in decent dressing.
And so far, workers are dressing decently. So, if you want to task our pockets further, you have to engage the leadership of labour. So, that is our position.
‘We are not comfortable with the dress code. We are rejecting the new dress code in its entirety. The Civil Service Rules, Section O4314 says that no officer should dress in a manner that will be deemed inappropriate . But the circular that was issued by the Head of Service, is now dictating the type of clothes we should put on.
”We do not have the kind of money they have. So, we don’t have money to buy the clothes they are saying we should put on. For example, they are saying on Friday, native attire which must be senator suit or modern caftan, whatever that means. So, if I don’t have money to buy a senator suit or modern caftan, you mean I cannot wear other native to my office? Is that what the Civil Service Rules say?’ Or you say from Monday to Thursday, officers must put on suit. Do they know how must it cost to sew one suit? How much is salary.
“There are officers in the state that get wardrobe allowance. If they want workers in Delta State to put on the type of dressings they desire, then they should grant us wardrobe allowance, so that we can be dressing that way because they do it for top men in the system.
”Now, where the civil service rule is silent, you ought to be silent, you don’t add to it. They are now adding to the rule, and this civil service rule is what is used allover the country. How can Delta State be different.
”The worst aspect of it all”, he went on, “is that they did it without consulting with the workers or the representatives of the workers. They just on their own volition came out to say that this is how you should be dressing from now on as if we are their children at home.
”The service belongs to everybody. Now, take the case of engineers. They come to the office, sign their names and go to sites. Even Julius Bergers engineers, top engineers from across the world, they don’t put on suit. How can you now say that engineers should be putting on suit to work. Work is that you get to the office, and go to sites. Then surveyors as well. They go into the bushes. Are you saying that surveyors should be putting on suit to go to bushes to survey government land and other lands. That is why we say that the dress code policy was not properly thought of.
”They even say plant operators and drivers and other uniform personnel should put on uniform. The rule says that it is government that provides uniform, and where government can not provide uniform, government will give them money to go and sew uniform.
“Now, you are saying they must wear uniforms, and you didn’t provide the money for them to sew uniform, and that anybody that does not comply will be sanctioned. That is why we are saying that we are resisting the dress code policy. We reject, and we resist it. The State Executive Council will look at the matter on Wednesday.
”Finally, we urge our workers to go to work in the way they used to dress decently and if they are victimized, we shall take it up and protect them”, he warned.
