James Ojo, Abuja
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday, pleaded for time from aggrieved academic and non-academic staff of Federal Government-owned tertiary institutions, saying the government was addressing all issues surrounding the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System( IPPIS).
Ngige said the government was in touch with bursars of universities so they could compile all challenges associated with payment of salaries through the IPPIS platform with the view to addressing them.
He said he had received the strike notice from non-teaching staff unions in universities and was making efforts to meet with the leaderships of the unions.
The government plans to apply for a special pass from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to hold a physical meeting with the unions to discuss all contentious issues.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU), however, said the government did not need to call a meeting before it paid members their full salaries and release their payment slips.
Samson Ugwoke-led JAC had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to correct all problems associated with payment of salary through the IPPIS platform and release their earned allowances before the easing of the lockdown, threatening that members would not resume duty when schools resume.
Ngige, however, said efforts were on to correct the problem.
“We are on top of the situation; we have received their letter. Their letter borders on shortcomings of IPPIS system. I have spoken with finance minister and accountant general of the federation and they said that they are in touch with university bursars to correct certain peculiarities and send back to them to treat.
“However, it is important to point out that one of the shortcomings which the universities’ workers pointed out is that IPPIS is over-taxing them and IPPIS skipped some of their people who have taken leave of absence and the rest of them all. These are matters that can be easily adjusted…