By Innocent Oweh
鈥ay Down Tools If June Salary Payment Delays Further鈥揔panja
The leadership of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has accused the Federal Government of subjecting her members to torture, citing unnecessary delays in the payment of salaries, which can best pass for pittance.
President of ASUP, Shammah Kpanja decried the situation in a statement on Sunday, stressing that it has become a trend across Federal Tertiary Institutions in the country in the last eight months.
Kpanja also threatened that her members may be compelled to boycott lectures if the June salary is not paid as soon as possible.
Kpanja said, 鈥淭his new trend of subjecting staff of these institutions to the mental torture of enduring indeterminate periods of uncertainty concerning the release of the severely devalued pittance now referred to as salaries coincides with the transition of the tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payment platform to the GIFMIS platform鈥.
He said role players in the responsibility chain have consistently placed the blame on the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation attributing same to delay in the funding of the different institutions for the salaries over these eight months.
鈥淲e have consistently complained formally to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation before now without the desired improvement leaving staff of different Federal Polytechnics in distress at the end of each month,鈥 he stated.
Kpanja argued that the only plausible reason for this deliberate torture is the low value placed on the academic community by the government.
He insisted that this is attributable to both payment platforms which are hosted by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and it is expected that the transition between the payment platforms and using essentially same payroll information will be smooth and flawless.
He lamented, 鈥淓ight months is too long a trial period for the transition and it is only a government that places low value on education will treat staff of tertiary education institutions in this manner.
鈥淥ur Union condemns this undeserved treatment being meted out to workers in the tertiary institutions particularly in a difficult economy like ours.
鈥 Workers in different tertiary institutions have been turned to beggars at the end of each month, with the worthless salaries only serving to service debts incurred in the course of each month. It is equally shameful that while the academic community is being punished with such penury, political leaders continue to entertain themselves in mindless opulence and power grabbing activities for the next elections.
鈥淭his is unfortunate and symptomatic of a terminally sick nation. We hereby renew our calls for the release of June 2025 salaries to tertiary institutions in the country without any further delay and a departure from this new trend of delay in salary payments in the coming months.
鈥淭his call is made in the overall interest of the fragile industrial harmony in the tertiary education sector particularly the Polytechnics as no trade union will continue to watch her members go through these harrowing experiences every month as government continues to undermine her contractual obligations to workers at the end of each month.
鈥淥ur Union may be forced to direct her members to stay away from all affected Polytechnics if the situation does not improve in the coming days and sustain same until the salaries are paid; while adopting same pattern at the end of each month going forward,鈥漷he ASUP President stated.