From Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called on the Federal Government to ensure pay parity with a common salary structure for university workers to end strikes and enhance industrial harmony in the education sector.
Comrade Adedeji Kazeem Suara, chairman, Federal University, Lokoja (FUL) chapter of SSANU, made the call at a Press Conference organised by the union body at the College of Health Sciences, Adankolo Campus, Lokoja.
The Union held that the setting up of various Renegotiation Committees had been lopsided for a long period as members had been drawn from one particular union at the detriment of others.
Suara decried a situation where a committee would recommend between 108 per cent – 180 per cent for teaching staff and an unreasonable 10 per cent for their non-teaching counterparts.
The Chairman noted that the Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee made it clear to SSANU from the onset that its Term of References did not include renegotiation of Salary increment.
“But we were dumbfounded to read in the Media about Nimi-Briggs Committee’s wide differential proposal for salary review for the university staff, with a disparity of between 108 per cent – 180 per cent for teaching staff and an unreasonable 10 per cent for their non-teaching counterparts,” he said.
Suara added that the 10 per cent proposed increase in salary was unacceptable and inhumane adding, “We will explore all means at our disposal to ensure justice is served.
“We call on the Federal Government to immediately disband the Nimi Briggs’ Devilish Committee. We also advise the Federal Government to consider various stakeholders in constituting such a committee in the future.
“Consideration should be given to Retired Judges, Retired Bursars and Registrars, Retired Labour Leaders and so on”, he said.
