IPPS, N40bn sharing: Anxiety as varsity workers plan three-day protest

Non-teaching staff in universities under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee will from Tuesday embark on a three-day nationwide protests against the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, sharing formula of the N40bn earned academic allowances and non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage.

The committee said other contentious issues that informed the decision included inconsistencies in IPPIS payment and the delay in the renegotiation of the FGN/ ASUU/SSANU 2009 agreement, non-payment of retirement benefits to former members and non-constitution of visitation panels to universities.

JAC, which comprises the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, directed all its branches to mobilise their members on for the rallies.

The decision to embark on the protest was taken on Friday at a meeting by the leadership of NASU and SSANU in Abuja, where they reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on October 20, 2020.

In a communique signed by the SSANU President,  Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, the committee added that the unions would consider other measures, including embarking on an indefinite strike, after the protests.

The JAC is expected to meet on Thursday to review the success of the protest and deliberate on the next step.

It was also gathered that the unions have notified the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who is the conciliator between the FG and the unions of their intention to embark on the protests.

The FG had in December approved N40bn earned allowances for the four university unions and allegedly  allocated 75 per cent of the amount to the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Punch