Two months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, started an indefinite strike over its rejection of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has directed members in all federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to begin strike any day resumption of schools is announced.
While ASUU insisted on no Bank Verification Number, BVN, before salary and accuses the Federal Government of inclusion of names of dead staff in the PPIS platform, NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, in a letter, notified the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, of its decision to down-tools, said the non-teaching staff union is protesting short-payment of its members’ salaries since February 2020.
NASU said regrettably, despite the assurances of the Minister of Labour via a telephone discussion in early April 2020, due to COVID-19 lockdown, the officials of the IPPIS have refused to effect appropriate corrections of all the anomalies observed, as it concerns February, March, and April 2020, salaries.
Adeyemi said the association has filed the Trade Dispute Act CAP 432, Trade Disputes (Essential Services) Act, CAP 433 of the of the law of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and Trade disputes (Amendment) Decree No 47 of 1992 otherwise called Form TD/3, against the Accountant General of the Federation.
NASU accused the IPPIS Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, and the Ministry of Finance of deceiving it into accepting the payment platform saying its peculiarities are still not embedded into the payment system which resulted in short payment.
Meanwhile, a statement signed by Director, Information and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant General, Henshaw Ogubike, said in parts that It is the responsibility of the institutions or agencies to inform the IPPIS office about death, resignation, or exit from service before due date.
He said payroll analysis are sent to the tertiary institutions bursars for review of any omission or names to be excluded.
The statement said the issues raised by the workers are cheap propaganda to denigrate the IPPIS for obvious reasons.
It said mention must be made that good spirited members of the unions personally wrote to inform this OAGF of their members of staff not being entitled to February salary payment and requested for account to refund the salary.
It added that the OAGF wishes to assure all the tertiary institution staff that it is always willing and ready to serve them as best as possible, but pleads for their understanding and cooperation.