Why ASUU Begin Two Weeks Warning Strike Today
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) earlier today declared a two-week warning strike over non-payment of salaries of lecturers who failed to enrol in the Federal Government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The National President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, disclosed this after the ASUU National Executive Council meeting in Enugu. He said the warning strike takes effect from Monday, March 9.
ASUU National President.
Recall that President Muhammad Buhari has insisted that there is no going back on the directive that all employees of the Federal Government, including the Federal universities, must be enrolled in the IPPIS.
ALSO READ: Proceed on Strike Immediately Your Salary is Stopped – ASUU Direct Lecturers
In a letter from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation dated January 23, 2020, addressed to the Minister of Finance and National Planning requested the stoppage of the release of funds for the payment of salaries of all academic staff who failed to enrol in IPPIS.
The letter titled ‘Request for Stoppage of Release of Funds for January Salaries to Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education” read: “I am directed to inform you that preparation of January 2020 salary payroll and warrants of the federal tertiary institutions are ongoing and will be ready for submission on or before 29th of January, 2020.”
The Union had earlier in January directed its members nationwide to proceed on strike as soon as the Federal Government stops lecturers’ salaries.
The ASUU chairman of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Dr. Adebayo Oni, said this in a telephone interview with the PUNCH correspondents on Sunday. He said there had been a standing order to commence strike once “members’ salaries are stopped.”
Oni said, “By the decision of NEC, we don’t have to hold any formal meeting at all. “The decision of NEC is that immediately our salaries are stopped we will invoke the principle of no pay no work. We don’t need to wait for any directive from NEC and an injury to one is an injury to all. Immediately salaries are paid and we discovered that other members of staff are paid and our members are not paid, we will automatically begin the strike.”
ASUU also accused unnamed government officials of sabotaging its discussions with the Federal Government on the proposed University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
The union added that it was consulting with its members nationwide on the directive by the Federal Government stopping the payment of salaries to lecturers and all workers of tertiary institutions who are not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
