By Onomiguren Agbamu
The Delta State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, said they are rejecting in totality the new dress code policy by the state government.
The Chairman of the state labour Union, Chief Goodluck Ofobruku, disclosed this during an interview in Asaba, the state capital.
He said the labour union is not comfortable with the dress code and that they are rejecting it in its entirety
He said the civil service rule, under section 04314, says an officer should not dress in a manner that will be deemed inappropriate, adding the dress code circular by the Head of Service is now dictating the type of clothes workers should put on.
According to him, “We are not comfortable with the dress code; we are rejecting the new dress code in its entirety.
“The Civil Service Rule, Section O4314, says 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 said on Friday, Native attire, which must be a senator’s 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 clothes to my office?
“Is that what the Civil Service Rule says? Or you say from Monday to Thursday, officers must put on a suit.
“Do they know how much it costs to sew one suit? How much is the salary? There are officers in the state that get wardrobe allowance. If they want workers in Delta State to put on the type of dressing they desire, then they should grant us wardrobe allowance so that we can be dressed 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 rules, and this civil service rule is what is used all over the country”.
“How can Delta State be different? And the worst aspect of it all is that they did it without consulting the workers or the representatives of the workers”.
“They are just on their own volition coming 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 Berger’s engineers, top engineers from across the world, don’t put on suits.”
“How can you now say that engineers should be putting on suits 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 suits to go to bushes to survey government land and other lands?
“They even say plant operators and drivers and other uniformed personnel should put on their uniforms. The rule says that it is the government that provides uniforms, and where the government cannot provide uniforms, the government will give them money.”
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