By Elijah Adeyemi-Benin
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to embark on total and indefinite strike action arising from unpaid allowances of members of the union, four months after they enrolled into the compulsory Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which was introduced by the federal Government.
The association expressed its displeasure on Tuesday in a Press release that was jointly signed by the Chairman and the Secretary of SSANU, University of Benin branch, Comrade Broderick Osewa and Comrade Enoma Aigbovoriuwa respectively after an executive Committee meeting of the body on Monday.
It also kicked against the removal of all allowances such as Hazard Allowance, Responsibility Allowance, Call Duty Allowance, Shift Duty Allowance among others, that were formerly enjoyed by members of the association which were part of the Memorandum of Action (MOA) agreement the federal Government voluntary entered with SSANU in 2009.
The group alleged that IPPIS has blighted their trust and confidence of SSANU since the past four months its members enrolled into IPPIS, and vowed to begin the strike as soon as schools which were lockdown due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic, re-open soon.
According to the association, “The development as shown by the federal Government through IPPIS has again lend credence to the fact that the federal Government cannot be trusted, since the Unions enrolment into IPPIS, the path has been littered with betrayals, resistance, half truth, and now outright sabotage. At present, no University worker knows his or her true salary or take home pay; IPPIS has brought increased tax regime, delayed salary payments, introduction of Housing Fund Scheme which ought to be optional, non remittal of Union dues deducted by IPPIS since February 2020 till date”.
SSANU, appealed to “the Federal Government to direct IPPIS and the Accountant-General of the Federation to address these irregularities and anomalies immediately or as resolved, the Union and members will start a total and indefinite strike action immediately the schools re-open.
“As far as the Union is concern and members are concern, IPPIS has breached our trust and confidence in this whole garbage called ‘IPPIS”, SSANU enthused.
