Gbajabiamila never promised FG'll offset lecturers' salary arrears -- Reps

The peace accord brokered between the  Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, involves payment of a part of the eight months' salaries withheld by the government.

A copy of the draft agreement, endorsed by Gbajabiamila and ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, revealed to the pressmen, showed that after visiting President Muhammadu Buhari, the speaker met the national leadership of ASUU and agreed to the payment of a part of the withheld salaries.

Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, however, dismissed insinuations that the speaker committed government to offsetting the arrears of salaries owed ASUU members during the strike.

But the fifth item in the resolution in the document on the meeting between the speaker and ASUU leadership, dated October 12, 2022, and titled "Withheld salaries," read:  ''The no work no pay policy of government remains a subsisting policy for all industrial actions, but government will on special grounds make a concession to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to pay a part of its salaries during the strike period."

It did not, however, state how many months of the withheld salaries would be paid and when.

The issue of the payment of the salaries was part of the demands made by the union from the government to end the strike.

Other demands are immediate signing of the Renegotiated 2009 Agreement; a new salary structure that would allow a professor at bar to earn N1,116,548.35 monthly; payment of arrears of Earned Academic Allowance; and release of government white paper on the 2021 visitation panels report to federal universities.

Others are intervention of the House by drafting a bill to empower the National Universities Commission, NUC, to stop proliferation of universities, especially by state governors; and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information system, IPPIS, as the payment platform in the university sector.

After meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the speaker met the ASUU leadership and informed them that the FG agreed to the upward review of their salary and that N170 billion had been provided for that in the 2023 budget where N300 billion was also earmarked for revitalisation fund.

The House also promised to address the issue of Earned Academic Allowance in the 2023 budget and that the reports of the visitation panels would be submitted to it.

Recall that ASUU recently accused Gbajabiamila of deceiving them to call off the strike when the terms of agreement had not been honoured, especially the issue of payment of withheld salaries.

Reacting to the allegation by ASUU yesterday, spokesman of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said at no time did the speaker commit to offsetting the arrears of salaries owed members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, during their recent strike action.

It will be recalled  that ASUU's last circle of strikes which started on February 14, 2022, dragged on till October 14, 2022, when it was eventually called off.

During the time, the leadership of the House, led by Gbajabiamila, brokered a series of meetings and negotiations between ASUU and the federal government to resolve the 8 month industrial action.

However, in a statement yesterday, Kalu said ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osedeke, in a report attacked Gbajabiamila, accusing him of hoodwinking the union to call off the strike on the basis that their salary arrears would be paid.

He said: "On Tuesday, December 27, 2022, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, granted an interview accusing speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, of using deception to convince the union to call off its strike.

"He specifically alleged that the speaker failed to deliver on his written commitment that the government would, without delay, offset the arrears of salaries owed to members of the union for the time they were on strike.

"For the record, at no point did the Speaker of the House of Representatives commit to offsetting the arrears of salaries owed to union members for the time they were on strike. 

''The House of Representatives helped to resolve the strike by making commitments to improve the welfare package of university lecturers and revitalisation funds to improve the infrastructure and operations of federal universities.

''These commitments are reflected in the 2023 Appropriation Bill, which includes one hundred and seventy billion naira (N170,000,000,000.00) to provide a level of increment in the welfare package of university lecturers and additional three hundred billion naira (N300,000,000,000.00) in revitalisation funds.

"Furthermore, the House of Representatives continues to work with stakeholders; the Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to facilitate the adoption of elements of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.

''This effort is being supervised by the Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Rep. Aminu Suleiman.''

Culled from Vanguard