The Federal Government says it will spend about N34 billion
as arrears of Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustments in the education sector
effective from 2019.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said
that this was aimed at resolving the lingering crisis in the sector, NAN
reports.
Ngige made this known while speaking with newsmen on the
prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and others
on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ngige said that the beneficiaries of the Minimum Wage
Consequential Adjustments included the members of the striking ASUU and their
counterparts in the polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
According to Ngige, the universities will get N23.5 billion,
the polytechnics N6 billion and the Colleges of Education N4 billion, bringing
the total sum to N33.5 billion.
The minister, while giving an update on the ongoing strike,
said committees were set up during the last tripartite meeting of the
government and university based unions.
He said they were given a fortnight to turn in their report,
adding they were still working and the reports of the committees were being
expected at the end of the week.
“Those committees are working. The one on NITDA is testing the
three platforms, the government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information
System (IPPIS).
“Also the University Transparency Accountability Solution
(UTAS) of ASUU and the Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (UPPPS)
of the non-teaching staff.
“They started the testing last Thursday. The National
Salaries, Wages and Incomes Commission (NSWIC) has issued their amendment
circulars.
“The unions also have copies to take care of responsibility
and hazard allowances wherever it has not been properly captured.’’
Ngige assured that there might likely be wage adjustments as
the government intensified efforts to streamline wages through the National
Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
“For example, we have done it for the police . It wasn’t envisaged
that we should do it in pockets.
“You can also see university teachers saying that their own
should be done immediately, since we have done for the police. So, something is
being done. It was part of the 2009 negotiation they had with the government
then.
“So, the committee of Prof. Briggs is on it, discussing with
the university unions and their employer, the Federal Ministry of Education.
They will bring up something for the government to see.
“There are other people. The doctors are complaining about
brain-drain, this and that. Their hazard allowance has to be touched and it was
touched by close to 300 per cent.
“From N5, 000 paid across board for each person, the least
person in the health sector is getting N15, 000, while the big ones are getting
N45, 000. So, that is the quantum leap.’’he added.
The minister therefore, appealed to ASUU and other
university-based unions once more to suspend their strike so that academic
activities could resume once again in public universities across the country.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com