By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
The Plateau State University Bokkos chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has appealed to the Northern Governors Forum and other well meaning Nigerians to prevail on Governor Simon Lalong of the State to redeem his promise to pay its members the over N300 million owed as Earned Allowance.
SSANU also maintained that if the aforementioned sum is not paid, its ongoing indefinite strike action will not be suspended.
It would be recalled that SSANU chapter of the Plateau State University, Bokkos had since December 21st, 2021, embarked on an indefinite strike, demanding that government pay its members their entitlements, which include arrears of Earned Allowances and Minimum Wage owed its members.
The Union in a press statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Timnan Rimdap, and Secretary Comrade Fom Dakwak, made available to journalists in Jos, the State Capital, said it was “deeply displeased and disappointed” by the anti labour posture being exhibited the state government, which pride itself as “labour and worker friendly”.
It reads: “Having reviewed the state of affairs since the declaration of our industrial action and having discovered that the Lalong administration is hell bent on ensuring that PLASU Senior Staff are denied their legitimate wages, SSANU Plateau State University, arising from its emergency meeting which held on Thursday 13th January, 2022, in Jos, resolved to issue this statement in order to keep members of the public fully abreast of the events that culminated into its industrial action and the disposition of the Lalong administration towards the welfare of its members:
Recall that upon the agitation of trade unions in Plateau State University in 2017 and 2018, by the then Prof. Attahiru Jega led Governing Council constituted a Committee on Staff Allowances with the mandate of determining the rates at which the different Earned Allowances should be paid to staff of the University.
The Committee, after widely consulting resource persons outside the University and meeting with trade unions in the University, concluded its assignment and submitted its report in November, 2018. In its report, the Committee did not only propose rates for the different Earned Allowances in the PLASU Regulations but also submitted financial claims from all staff of the University based on these proposed rates.
The Governing Council had on 14th November, 2018, approved both the rates and the total financial implication for paying the Earned Allowances. Thereafter, the total financial implication was also approved by the State House of Assembly as part of the 2019 budget and subsequent ones.
The statement added that, “Having painstakingly followed all due process and secured all the necessary approvals for the payment of its own share of the Earned Allowances, SSANU made numerous demands on the Lalong administration to release its own share which amounted to a total sum of over N310, 000, 000 for the period 2010 to 2020.
“It is disheartening to note, however, that from 2019 to date, the Lalong administration which prides itself as a labour friendly government has not released a single kobo for the payment of the arrears of Earned Allowances to PLASU senior staff. Even though ‘Governor alert,’ has made several promises to pay the arrears.
“It still remains a huge surprise to SSANU that he has continued to treat the welfare of our members with complete laxity”, the Union decried.
“It is also disheartening to note that since we declared an industrial action on 21st December, 2021, the Lalong Administration has not only failed to address our issues but has also failed to engage the Union in dialogue with a view to resolving them”, SSANU explained.
“SSANU is deeply displeased and disappointed at such an anti labor posture being exhibited by a government that is supposed to be labour and worker friendly.
“We wish to call upon well-meaning people of Plateau State and members of the Northern Governors Forum of which our Governor is chairman, to prevail on Governor Lalong to redeem his good name and to set a good example for members of the Northern Governors Forum by paying our hard-earned arrears of earned allowances, just as many of his counterparts have done”, SSANU appealed.
“We wish to state clearly that as long as our legitimate and hard-earned allowances are not paid, our indefinite strike action which commenced on 21st December, 2021 will not be suspended”, the Union stressed.
