FG promises to clear arrears of minimum wage of varsity workers end of October

The Federal Government has promised to clear the arrears on the consequential adjustment on minimum wage owed to members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), by the end of October.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige disclosed this at the end of a meeting between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the SSANU and NASU, convened to examine the level of implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the unions in February 2021.

Ngige commended the unions for their understanding and maturity in cooperating with the government to resolve their issues, emphasising that the government did not take them for granted.

The Minister disclosed that the meeting was a continuation of an earlier one held on February 25, 2021, at his instance, and at which agreements were reached on various issues concerning members of the unions.

He stated that the meeting agreed that the payment of the arrears be fast-tracked between now and the end of October, adding that arrears in salary and promotion had been captured in the 2021 Supplementary Budget.

According to the minister, it was not the government’s intention to owe them, but that the delay was caused by the difficulty in getting the actual number of people qualified for the arrears, as a lot of people had joined the service from 2020, while the period of the arrears spanned April 19 to December 31, 2019.

On the Earned Allowances of relevant institutions (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education), Ngige said the JAC would update the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the outstanding amount owed its members, while the NUC was given two weeks to do the appropriate reconciliation.

The meeting agreed to correct the anomalies in the payment of hazard allowance, caused by an error in printing, which had seen all members collecting the same sum of money across the board with no distinction between senior and junior workers.

Regarding the Responsibility Allowance, where Heads of Units were omitted, Ngige disclosed that their employers had been given two weeks to rectify the anomalies to enable the affected people get the appropriate allowance due to them.

On the issue of the Renegotiation of FGN/SSANU/NASU 2009 Agreement, Ngige stated that the unions and NUC would agree on a date to meet, as the Secretariat of the Renegotiation Committee was ready.

The Minister stated that as the Visitation Panels for Universities, constituted by the government, had finished their work and would present their reports next week, the meeting agreed that the government should, as soon as possible, issue the appropriate white paper for implementation.

Ngige added that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation reported that out of 293 claims received, all had been processed with 273 paid, and the 20 outstanding would be paid as soon as possible.

The Minister disclosed that the meeting stepped down some issues billed for discussion because of the unavoidable absence of the relevant officers, inconsistencies in IPPIS payments, and update on teaching staff usurping headship of non-teaching units in clear violation of condition service and establishment procedures.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…