The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has warned the Federal Government not to create another round of crisis in the university system by its continue delay in the review of 2009 Agreeement it signed with the university based non-teaching staff.
Against this background, SSANU called on the Federal Government to urgently put machineries in motion for the review of the Agreement without further delay before it leads to industrial actions and destroy the on-going smooth academic calendar in ivory towers.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its 24th regular Executive Council Meeting held at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu State at the weekend said the agreement has since fell due for review with effect from August, 2012.
Signed by SSANU National President, Comrade Samson Ugwoke and the National Public Relations Officer, Comrade NAD Aboribo, the communique frowned at the attitude of Federal Government in reaching and signing tripartite agreement with unions without commitment to implement it.
The Communique stated: “NEC-in-session notes that, going by the terms of the 2009 FGN/SSANU Agreement, the agreement fell due for review with effect from August, 2012. Council frowns at the culture of the government signing agreement with Unions, with little or no commitment to full implementation of the terms of the agreement which is one of the causes of frequent industrial crises in the country, particularly in the Nigerian public University system.
“SSANU NEC therefore, calls on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency put machineries in motion for the review of the Agreement without further delay before it degenerates into another round of crisis.”
Specifically SSANU condemned the non-implementation of the Earned Allowances component of the 2009 Agreement to its members on monthly basis and called for its regular payment “to avoid situations that may aggravate another industrial crisis in the universities.
SSANU also called on Federal Government to expedite action on the payment of the arrears to their members in Research Institute affiliated to universities, regretting that these category of workers are yet to be paid any arrears of the Earned Allowances.
It appealed to the Federal Government to release the balance of funds to enable University Governing Councils settle the outstanding arrears.
“Council also implores the Governing Councils of State owned Universities to as a matter of urgency, begin the implementation of the Earned Allowances and its arrears to SSANU members in their Universities and inter Universities centres to forestall any likely disruption in the regular University calendar,” the union said.
The union also viewed with great concern the government policy on the implementation of Integrated Personal Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, and government insistence in implementing it in universities.
It expressed worries that the government is adopting an obsolete policy of over centralisation in a period where decentralisation is being embraced globally, saying that “SSANU will not subscribe to the implementation of the IPPIS in the Universities including the Research Institutes affiliated to the universities,” until acceptable software is developed to take care of the peculiarities.
SSANU also called on government to urgently implement in full the Group Life Insurance to her members as part of the Contributory Pension Acts.
The union warned against autocratic use of power by Vice Chancellors without recourse to due process and conditions of service, and arbiltrary suspension of SSANU members, victimisation of union officials and unjust re-deployment of career Directors in some universities.
SSANU called for immediate resolve of the lingering crisis in the Polytechnic and Colleges of Education by the government, and demanded apology from the security agents for the brutal action meted out to the members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) during their peaceful rally in Abuja.
On the state of the nation, SSANU condemns the trend of terrorism by the Boko Haram and called on security agencies to be at the forefront of all such activities so as not to undermine and/or compromise the security and sovereignty of the country.
