Following the brewing crisis over the sharing formula of the N22.127 billion Earned Allowances released by the Federal Government to the four universities based unions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has told the aggrieved unions to take their grouse to the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission, NUC.
The Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions, NASU, had last week kicked against the sharing formula that gave the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, 75 per cent of the total sum, leaving 25 per cent to the three non-teaching staff to share.
JAC, in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, who is the Conciliator-in-Chief of the Federation rejected the sharing formula and appealed to the Minister to intervene to avert industrial disputes in the universities and inter-universities centres.
Also in a statement signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU, and Comrade Mohammad Ibrahim, National President of SSANU, JAC called on the government to suspend the disbursement of the fund until the alleged injustice is corrected.
When contacted for his reaction to the looming crisis in the universities over the sharing formula, Senator Ngige confirmed that he has received the petition from SSANU and NASU and has also forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Education.
He said that he was not involved in the sharing formula and that as the Chief Conciliator, he made sure that the fund was included in the supplementary budget and released by the Ministry of Finance.
He said, “I have referred their letter to the Ministry of Education that is their direct employer, I am not involved in the sharing formula.
“My job is to make sure that the government released the money, if they have any grouse on the sharing formula, they should take it to their direct supervisors, the Ministry of Education, and the National University Commission.
“They should go back to their employers to complain that they don’t like the sharing formula.
“I put the money in the complementary budget and I wrote to the Minister of Finance to release it, that is the extent I can go as the Conciliator. I don’t know what their parameters are. I can’t dictate to them.
“It is the responsibility of NASU, and SANU to go to the Ministry of Education and the NUC with a superior argument to say this formula is not good and present their reasons.
“They are their employers, they are bound to listen, if there is merit, they will do what they want.”
Source: Vanguard
