The Peoples Democratic Party has confirmed its plan to sack some of its staff at the party’s national secretariat.
According to a memo to all the staff of the party which was obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, the rationalization was approved during the party’s 89th National Executive Committee meeting.
The memo was titled, ‘Implementation of the resolution of NEC on staff rationalization,’ but did not specify the number of staff to be affected by the exercise.
The memo which was signed by the PDP Deputy National Secretary, Mr Agbo Emmanuel, also said the staff that will be affected by the exercise were given an option to resign honorably.
It added that all affected staff will be paid their disengagement allowance immediately.
It also said that staff not affected by the rationalization exercise will continue on a new salary scale and new condition of service.
It said, “The NEC at its 89th meeting on Thursday, February 27, 2020, adopted the following resolutions: NEC approved the rationalization of staff of the PDP National secretariat. NEC committee on staff rationalization was converted to the implementation committee.
“The finance department was directed to pay immediately, January and February salary to all staff. Also, September to December 2019 staff housing allowance is to be paid immediately. That will be the last payment on the present salary structure.
“The list of staff affected by the rationalization will be published shortly but affected staff are given an option to resign honorably.”
It could be recalled that the staff had few weeks ago claimed that the party pays N12m as totally monthly salaries for the establishment staff and those of the Peoples Democratic Institute and N5m for personal staff of members of the PDP NWC.
The employees had also decried that they were allegedly being owed four months of consolidated housing allowance for 2019 even as according to them, the party realized about N6bn from the sale of forms for the 2019 general elections.
The workers had further said the alleged indebtedness was surprising as according to them, the PDP National Executive Committee approved about N1bn to be set aside for payment of all salaries and allowances of staff 2019, which according to them about N700m was further collected from the sale of forms for Kogi and Bayelsa States’ governorship elections.
These were contained in a memo to the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus and PDP NEC members from the PDP Establishment Staff.
Part of the memo reads: “In the last quarter of 2018, the Party netted about N6bn naira from the sale of forms for the 2019 general elections. NEC in her wisdom approved about N1bn naira to be set aside for payment of all salaries and allowances of staff for the whole of 2019.Later, about N700m was further collected from the sale of forms for Kogi and Bayelsa States’ Governorship elections. All these notwithstanding, four months of consolidated housing allowance for staff for the said 2019 are not yet paid as at today!”
The workers had also rejected in its entirety the recommendation of the NWC committee on downsizing headed by Dr. Emmanuel Agbo to pay severance allowances to staff as follows: Directors-N3m; Deputy /Assistant Directors-N2.5m; Supervisory/Intermediate-N2m; Junior staff -N1.5m.
The workers alleged that the above recommendations were mere arbitrary allocation of figures which, they said were not based on the provision of any extant approved financial regulation of the party.
They also said they were neither products of negotiation with staff nor a ratio or percentage of any official fiscal administration of the party.
According to them, such recommendations were lacking in empathy and fellow-brother feeling.
It said, “The total monthly amount expendable as salary for the establishment staff and those of the Peoples Democratic Institute staff is N12m, while that of personal staff to NWC members is N5m. Since reducing the wage bill is expectedly the matter under contention, why not NWC members reduce the number of their personal staff drastically since most of them are not physically present to provide needed services.”
