The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may be compelled to resort to anothet strike action, if te Federal Government continued to hold salaries of its members.
The Union blamed the Federal Government, as well as the Accountant-General of the Federation, over what it called the victimisation of its members.
According to the umbrella body of university lecturers, it has refused to pay its members salaries despite the ‘no victimisation clause’ of the suspended strike.
It said that while its members are back to their duty posts to work, the harsh economy being experienced due to unpaid salaries and non-refund of deducted check-off dues will affect productivity.
The union warned that if pushed to the limit, “withdrawal of work in the nearest future may be inevitable.”
The Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said the Federal Government failed to remit the deductions it made to the account of the union.
Akinwole said while government was paying outstanding five months salaries for those on nominal role at an agonisingly slow pace, over 100 UI academic staff members were being owed salaries for between two to 10 months.
He said those newly employed in February 2020 had not received money with their families and dependants suffering over their rejection of enrolment on the IPPIS.
The ASUU chief said, “The suspension of the strike was based on an agreement reached and a ‘Memorandum of Action’ signed in good faith between the government and ASUU at the stakeholders’ meeting held on the Tuesday, 22nd December, 2020. A major common position agreed to (and expected to be respected) by the government and ASUU was that nobody shall be victimised in any way whatsoever for his/her role in the process leading to the Memorandum of Action.”
He said while ASUU had remain faithful to the agreement by returning to classes and performing their respective duties, the Federal Government reneged on its part.
He alleged that “Officials of the OAGF kept adducing flimsy untenable reasons for the perpetual non- payment of salaries, demanding loads of paperwork and documents both from the union and the bursary unit of the various universities, as well as the university administration.
“The requested documents have consistently been provided on a monthly basis, yet the salaries remain unpaid. In the University of Ibadan, March 10, 2021, about 67 ASUU members that are on regular nominal payroll have their salaries ranging from two to 10 months still unpaid as of March 10, 2020. Over 80 ASUU-UI members in the faculty of veterinary medicine have their medical allowances of over eight months still unpaid.”
Credit: Punch
