The leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-teaching Staff Unions of Universities on Wednesday gave the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to reverse the sharing formula for the Earned Allowances released to universities staff.
The JAC comprised the Non-Academic Staff Unions of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT).
The body stated this in a letter jointly signed by the NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Abuja.
In the N40 billion Earned Allowances earlier released by the federal government to the four universities unions, ASUU was allocated 75 percent while the other three unions got 25 percent.
The federal government recently promised to release another N22.127 billion as Earned Allowances for the university staff with the sharing formula.
JAC, however, described the sharing formula as injustice.
The body urged the federal government to reverse the sharing formula immediately to avert industrial disputes in the university system.
The letter read: “The leadership of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU is constrained to write the minister in respect of the total failure of the federal government to positively address all the issues contained in the Memorandum of Action signed on February 25.
“The refusal of the Minister of Labour and Employment to finalise action on the subsequent Memorandum of Action reached at the meeting of August 25 is worrisome.
“It is regrettable to note that the draft of the Memorandum of Action reached August 25, which was handed over to JAC leadership for vetting was effectively returned on August 30, and almost two months after the meeting, no action has been taken.”
JAC noted that some of the contentious issues in the letter were the payment of minimum wage, consequential adjustment arrears, alleged inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) payment, payment of hazard responsibility allowance to deserving members, and the earned allowances.
It added: “Contrary to the content of the Memorandum of Action of February 25, and the decision reached at the subsequent meeting of August 26, the information at our disposal as of the time of writing this letter indicates that the Federal Government has agreed to release another tranche of N22.127 billion for the payment of Earned Allowance to the Universities and Inter-University Center Staff at the ratio 75-25 percent.
“We are alarmed at this lack of sensitivity on the part of government when not long ago, Non-teaching staff protested the sharing formula applied by the Federal Government at 75-25 for the disbursement of the last tranche of N40 billion released for payment of earned allowances to both the teaching and non-teaching staff of our universities.
“To again embark on this provocative and unacceptable sharing formula in the next release will only ignite industrial disquiet in our university system.
We urge the Honourable minister to prevail on the federal government not to allow the present peaceful industrial atmosphere in the universities and inter-university centers in our country to be disrupted.
“We, therefore, request for positive redress of the issues presented above by the Federal Government within the next two weeks, failing which JAC may be forced to ask its members across the length and breadth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to take a position on the need to resume the suspended strike.”
