‘Pay Our 4 Months Withheld Salaries’ – Varsity Workers To Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has been charged by Non-teaching members of staff across universities in the country to pay their four-month withheld salaries by the immediate past administration.

The workers, under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), made the plea at their National Executive Council meeting.

According to members of the union, the fund would help their members to celebrate their Christmas as expected.

The President of the association, Mohammed Ibrahim, in a statement released at the end of the meeting, also urged Tinubu to fulfil his promise of the N35,000 wage award.

President Tinubu, a few weeks ago, ordered that the withheld salaries be paid to the university workers, but both academic and non-academic staff are yet to receive the payment.

The SSANU President, in the statement, said, “NEC-in-session acknowledged the approval by the government to pay the four months salaries of our members withheld as a result of the last industrial action embarked by the Union.

“NEC-in-session deliberated on the undue delay by the government in paying the four months’ salaries and therefore urged the government to pay the money without further delay. This is to boost the already fading confidence of our members in government.”

The union leader also joined its counterpart in ASUU to jubilate over the recent pulling out of the universities from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) payment platform, describing it as a good step in the right direction.

He further stated, “NEC-in-session appreciates the decision of the federal government to exempt all tertiary institutions from IPPIS. While commending this decision, it, however, encourages the government to critically consult the Management of Universities and labour unions on a workable, reliable, seamless, and acceptable approach in transiting to the new regime to capture the peculiarities of university workers.

“This is with a view to forestall the complicated problems that plagued the use of IPPIS. NEC, therefore, urges the government to consider improving the old system with some of the latest features in the U3PS payment solution presented to it by the JAC of SSANU and NASU.”

Ibrahim, in his reaction to the wage award promised by the Federal Government, said, “NEC-in-session recalls the approval of the government to increase the salaries of university workers by 25% and 35%.

“Though this proposal is a far cry from the salary increase demanded by SSANU, we regarded it as an award by the government and therefore expected that the award should have been implemented by now.”