The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has called on the federal government to consult widely with University managements and labour unions on acceptable payment system for university workers.
SSANU’s position which seems to be in consonance with other unions, is in reaction to last week’s announcement on the exemption of university workers from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS.
TVC News Joke Adisa reports that the federal government’s decision to exempt tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, by the Minister of Education is one news that sparked excitement in the academic community.
it’s the end of a long drawn battle between the Federal government and the unions across the nation’s tertiary institutions over the IPPIS.
For years, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and other tertiary institutions, vehemently opposed the government adopted payment system as a result of basic errors and the peculiarities of the institutions.
ASUU for instance, argues IPPIS erodes university autonomy.
Many of them came up with the payment systems they believe will better serve the tertiary institutions.
While ASUU developed the University Transparency Accountability Solution, UTAS, the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU floated the U3PS payment solution as better alternatives.
That decision to exempt ASUU from IPPIS toped the agenda at the two-day National Executive Council meeting of SSANU.
The union applauds government action but proffers the way forward
Like SSANU, ASUU, NASU, CONUA and other unions commends government’s decision on IPPIS.
For SSANU, other issues of concern include non payment of four months withheld salaries as a result of the last industrial action, non payment of clinical hazard allowance to health workers and implementation of proposed wage increase .
Tertiary institutions based unions say they look forward to a payment platform that will not impede smooth running of activities in the academia and guarantee their autonomy.
