Gbenro Adesina
The Joint Action Committee of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union have directed members to proceed on a 14-day warning strike from Monday, October 5, 2020, over the inconsistencies of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, non-payment of arrears of national minimum wage, non-payment of Earned Allowances among others.
A statement jointly signed by the National President, SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, and General Secretary, NASU, Peter Adeyemi, said the strike was premised on the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the payment of salaries and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.
Some other issues mentioned in the statement were, “non-payment of national minimum wage and retirement benefits to our members. The delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU Agreements, as well as the non-payment of benefits to retired members, teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units and neglect and poor funding of state universities.”
“Please note that this warning strike is a prelude to a full blown total and indefinite industrial action if the grievances highlighted above are not properly addressed,” the statement added.
Also in a statement to members issued by the President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, the warning strike was a prelude to a full-blown, total and indefinite industrial action if their grievances were not addressed by the government.
The statement read in part: “Following the recent directives from the National Universities Commission to Vice-Chancellors for the immediate resumption/safe reopening of Universities, you are hereby directed to commence a fourteen (14) day warning strike effective from 5th to 19th October 2020.”
