Labour leaders in Delta State have kicked against the dress code policy of the state government for civil servants . Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Delta State, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku spoke to newsmen in Asaba that the policy was not well thought out by the Office of the Delta State Head of Service.
Ofobruku stated, ”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. ”
Continuing, ”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? …” Ofobruku pointed out.
The Delta State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress frowned at a situation where government emphasizes what is not expressed in the civil service rules.
According to him, ”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”
Ofobruku expressed displeasure over what he described as non consultation of labour leaders by the Delta State Head of Service before coming up with dress code policy.
He said, ”The worst aspect of it all, 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.”
While urging state workers in Delta to remain calm, the labour authority warned that If government punishes workers over dress code, they would take it up.
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”If they insist that they want to punish our people, we also know what to do. Anything we are doing, it’s 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 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”, Ofobruku warned.
Meanwhile, Delta State Government said dress code for civil servants was not new but anchored on provisions of the Civil Service Rules, particularly section 04314 on page 42.
Charles Aniagwu, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information noted that just as every profession has an expected mode of dressing, the civil service requires its workforce to appear decent and corporate.
He said, “When you come to work in spaghetti straps or slippers, you demean the image of the service. The civil service is not a free party where people can dress as they please”
Aniagwu insisted that enforcing the dress code was about protecting the image of the government and ensuring respect for public institutions.
