Nationnewslead reports that UNIVERSITIES workers on Sunday warned the Federal Government over the N40 billion Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) it promised to release to all unions in the university system.
The workers said the government would have to deal with another round of strike, if the funds were not fairly shared among the universities- based unions.
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The government, last Friday, in a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), raised the EAA to N40 billion to be shared among the four universities-based unions.
The other unions in the university system area: Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU); Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
SSANU urged the government to ensure that the money passed through the universities’ governing councils, which have the template of the sharing formula.
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The union also warmed the government to be wary of any group or union that would present any payment platform, apart from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which it claimed is the one recognised by government to curb corruption within the system.
ASUU had presented the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative payment platform to the Federal Government for its members.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim said the union would resist the introduction of any other payment platform aside the IPPIS or the one being conceived by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU.
He said government had no business in sharing money to unions as universities were established through the law.
The union leader said the law stipulates that each university must have a Governing Council, which is the employer of all workers and the highest policy-making body of each university.
He said the university administration, through the registry and bursary units, have the responsibility of knowing who should earn what in the system.
This is a strange case of the tail wagging the dog! The government is owing university staff earned allowances. It releases a certain amount to pay all categories of staff but says that of the released amount, x% will be used to pay category A and y% for category B. If any of the categories considers its percentage too small, the logical thing is to approach the government for an increase. It is simply senseless and stupid to make a case for increase in its own percentage by asking for a reduction in the percentage that goes to the other group. Why not make a case that will benefit your group and the other groups? It is this envy-induced unhealthy rivalry that has served to engender the strikes by the duo of SSANU and NASU as follow-up to any strike action that ASUU embarks on to press home any demand it makes on the government. Why must SSANU and NASU carry on as if they are in any way at par with ASUU? It makes no sense whatsoever because they are never and can never be on the same pedestal with ASUU since their job description, entry qualification, promotion criteria are completely different. Surely, one who is meant to play the role of a mere support staff can never be at par with the staff being supported. Indeed, for every 10 academic staff, there should be one support staff. It is therefore, baffling and indeed bewildering to see that those who ought to be at the rear now carrying on as if they should be at the forefront. For the sake of enduring industrial harmony in the system, it makes sense for each category of staff to be reminded of its job description and it’s role in the system. Given the high and rising unemployment situation in the country, it will not be proper to call for the enforcement of the prescribed ratio of non-academic to academic staff in the system, for no well meaning person will want to see another lose the means of livelihood.