ASUU strike: FG says no plans to introduce different salary payment platforms

The Federal Government, in response to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), says it has no plans to introduce a different salary payment platform for the trade unions in tertiary institutions, insisting it won’t pay salaries through the recommended University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

This was disclosed on Wednesday evening by the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige in a press briefing after the Federal Executive Council meeting.

The meeting was presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja.

What the minister is saying

Ngige dismissed reports that the FG was concluding plans to introduce different salary payment platforms for the trade unions in tertiary institutions.

Ngige said, “No employee or worker can dictate to his employer how he or she will be paid.’’

He added that efforts were on towards resolving the ongoing faceoff between the government and ASUU as well as other university-based unions over payment platforms.

“Contrary to insinuations that the government was not engaging with ASUU, there had been series of meetings between all parties with the next one coming up on Thursday,” he added;

What you should know

• This comes as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had insisted on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) it created, claiming that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) was short changing them.
• The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) also recommended the Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (UPPPS) as their own payment platform.

In case you missed it

• Nairametrics reported this week that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) revealed that it is yet to get any feedback after its discussion with the Professor Nimi Briggs-led Federal Government renegotiation committee on the 2009 agreements.
• ASUU chief, Osodeke said, ‘‘Yes, we had a meeting with them last week and they have not called us again. All they told us was that they are waiting for their principal, that when their principal responds, they will get back to us.’’
• He pointed out that the union had not gotten any invitation for another meeting since their last engagement.
• The ASUU President lamented that they had been faced with a similar situation since May 2021 saying, ‘‘The same way they told us they were waiting for the FG in May 2021 and yet no result.’’