The staff of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUT) reportedly trooped to report early at work on Monday (today) morning to prevent a salary slash.
It was gathered that it was all rowdy at the office of the ESUT of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Hypcinth Onah, this morning, as workers rushed in to sign an employee attendance log to prove they were at work on Monday (today).
It was learned that the signing of the employee attendance log was an initiative of the state government to discourage the Monday sit-at-home introduced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
However, the state governor Peter Mbah had banned the sit-at-home exercise, but residents didn’t yield to the warning due to fear of being attacked.
But Mbah, in his bid to break the exercise, which is gradually crippling the region’s economy, met with various heads of government agencies and parastatals to devise a means to break the cycle.
It was following this that the signing of the employees’ attendance log book was introduced.
The governor has since reportedly directed all government establishments to keep attendance logs for workers on Mondays and start surcharging employees who fail to come to work on such days.
Speaking with SaharaReporters who visited the ESUT, some workers said the rush was to meet the 8:30 am deadline of signing the attendance.
One of the workers said, “Anyone who comes to work after 8:30 am when the register is billed to close will be regarded as not at work that day. And those who don’t come to work on Mondays will henceforth be surcharged 25 per cent of their salary.”
Also, it was observed that members of staff who lived far from the hospital reportedly stayed the night within the hospital premises to avoid any issues on Monday morning.
One of such member of staff said, “I had to come to the hospital yesterday (Sunday) to sleep over to comply with the new order because I would not be able to meet up if I try to come on Mondays.
“I live at Garrik on Agbani Road, and the government doesn’t provide vehicles on Monday for workers, and individual transport owners don’t bring out their vehicles very early in the morning for fear of being attacked.”
