ASUU raises alarm over non-payment of 10 months arrears

The union alleged that the federal government and the office of the ACF are victimising her members through refusal to pay them salaries running between two to 10 months despite suspending the strike on “no victimisation clause”.

ASUU maintained that while members are back at 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.

ASUU Chairman at the University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Akinwole in a statement made available to DAILY POST maintained that the federal government has refused to remit union deductions it made to the account of Union with a plan to stifle the union.

He warned that if pushed to the limit, withdrawal of work in the nearest future may be inevitable.

Akinwole said that while the government is paying outstanding five months salaries for those on the nominal role at an agonisingly slow pace, over one hundred UI academic staff are being owed salaries ranging between two to ten months.

He disclosed that those newly employed in February 2020 have not received any penny with suffering on their families and dependants because they maintained their stand to reject enrolment on the IPPIS.

Akinwole while speaking further added that non-payment of the outstanding has shown that the government has again reneged on its agreement with ASUU and can no longer be trusted.

He maintained that 80 ASUU-UI members in the faculty of veterinary medicine have their medical allowances of over eight months still unpaid.

Akinwole explained further that ten sabbatical lecturers including an expatriate from Europe are being owed salaries of between two to twelve months in UI.

He said, “The agreement reached on the 22nd December 2020 imposed some obligations on both the Government and ASUU. On the part of ASUU, the Union undertook to go back to the classrooms, laboratories, workshops, workstations etc, to do the best for the students and the country. It is now for the Federal and State governments to sincerely fulfil their own part of the bargain, a major part of which is the NO victimisation clause.

“While ASUU as a Union and her members as individuals in various branches have remained faithful to this agreement by returning to classes and performing their respective duties, the federal government, true to type has reneged on its part.

Contrary to FGN affirmation of its commitment to pay all withheld salaries of ASUU members who have not enrolled in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information system (IPPIS), three months after the suspension of the strike, thousands of ASUU members across various branch are still being owed salaries While confirming that government is defraying the generally withheld five months salaries at an agonisingly slow rate of one outstanding salary per month, the salaries of some members running to hundreds have been permanently and consistently withheld by the office of Accountant general of the federation (OAGF).

“Officials of the OAGF keep 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, 67 ASUU members that are on regular nominal payroll have their salaries ranging from two to ten months still unpaid as of March 10, 2020.