Lokoja – The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has urged the Federal government to immediately disband the Prof. Nimi Briggs re-negotiation committee.
The call was made on Thursday in Lokoja during a press conference addressed by the SSANU branch of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) .
The FUL branch Chairman of SSANU , Mr Kazeem Adedeji while addressing the press said the Nimi Briggs committee report undermined the importance of non-teaching staff in the university system.
He explained that teaching and learning in any university in Nigeria can not be achieved without SSANU members.
He condemned the attempt to create a wide disparity in the emoluments of teaching and non-teaching staff as proposed by the Brigg’s committee, saying it should not be allowed to stand.
” The180 per cent proposed salary for teaching staff against a paltry 10 per cent increase for non-teaching counterparts is inhumane and unacceptable.
“We were dumbfounded to read about the Nimi Briggs committee’s wide differential proposal for salary review for university staff in the media.
“With a disparity of teaching staff between 108 – 180% and an unreasonable 10 per cent for non-teaching counterparts.
“Who presented a 10% increase in salary to Briggs’ committee? Why tell lies about their terms of reference concerning salary increase? Were the committee deliberately working in favour of their union or there was a conspiracy between the committee and their union in the university?
“Nimi Briggs’ Committee was not conscious of the fact that both teaching and non-teaching staff have the same certificates.
“We patronize the same markets and we have professionals from various fields as non-teaching staff,” the Chairman explained.
The union then called on the Federal Government to immediately disband the Nimi Briggs “devilish committee. ”
However, Adedeji on behalf of SSANU members at the University, commended the Minister of Labour, Mr Chris Ngige for turning down the unreasonable wide differential salary review for teaching and non-teaching staff as proposed by Nimi Briggs committee and for ensuring that all university -based unions’ interests are protected and carried along.
It also advised the Federal Government to consider various stakeholders in constituting such a committee in future.
“Consideration should be given to retired judges, retired bursars and registrars, retired labour leaders etc.
“The setting up of renegotiation committee has been lopsided for a long period and it has been only members of one unit in the university to the detriment of other unions,” he said.
Adedeji said SSANU will explore all means at its disposal to ensure justice is served to its members.
The union also called on the Federal Government to make public, the report of integrity test it carried out on U3PS, UTAS and IPPIS public.
“The Federal Government instructed NITDA to conduct various tests on U3PS, UTAS and IPPIS.
“We call on the Government to make the reports available to the public as this is crucial to resolving the ongoing strike,” Adedeji stated.
The union also called for the stoppage and reversal of headship positions meant for non-teaching staff by the teaching counterparts.
It will be recalled that the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU began its strike on April 28, 2022 to bring the Federal Government back to the renegotiation table and drive home its demands.
Part of SSANU’s demands are renegotiation of FG/SSANU and NASU 2009 agreement, removal of inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, implementation of payment of earned allowances and stoppage to the usurpation of headship positions of non-teaching staff. (vitalnewsngr.com)
