…Says industrial action will follow FG’s ‘no-work, no pay’ policy
Rukayat Akanbi, Bauchi
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed reasons for its insistent against being incorporated into the federal government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The varsity lecturers said the system (IPPIS) is a policy that violates the existing Nigerian university laws which they believed supersede policy.
ASUU Zonal Coordinators in Bauchi; Gombe and Plateau states while speaking with journalists on Monday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi said the Union opposed the “forceful imposition of IPPIS” on the university system.
Professor Abubakar Lawan of Bauchi Zone said system might work well in other sectors but its shortcomings makes it unfit for university system. He noted that: “For instance, if you are earning your salary and any other allowances, the system (IPPIS) can either stop one or even both. And this is not how we operate; there are some of our colleagues on sabbatical –of which some of them are encountering problem with their accounts.”
ASUU further stated that the system will create bottlenecks for replacement of professors after retirement. “Imagine that every university must go to Abuja before replacing any hand. We have laws that guide our operations. We have had complaints from our university governing councils that FG officials inject slot in the employment list of varsity which they cannot resist,” Abubakar said.
According to him, the policy is a renegation of the Federal Government’s agreement with ASUU pointing out that universities have various laws that decide how lecturers should be paid while the governing councils of the institutions employ and sanction staff.
ASUU also threatened that the Union would result to industrial action should the federal government implement its ‘no-work, no-pay’ policy. “If our salary is delayed for just 24-hours, they should expect strike. We have told our members to be ready,” Prof. Abubakar said.
The union therefore asked the federal government to respect and adhere to approved budgets of universities and to challenge the governing councils of universities to curb corrupt practices in their payroll.
“We call on ASUU members all over the country to continue to be with and support the national leadership. We should only accept information and instructions from our leaders. To the AGF, please restrict yourself to keeping money for government. You do not have any business asking ASUU to join IPPIS,” ASUU said.
