SSANU, NASU protest against 30bn earned allowance in Bayelsa

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staffs of Universities (NASU) have rejected the template used for sharing of the earned allowances disbursed by federal government to Nigerian universities.

The two groups made their positions known during a peaceful protest in Federal University Otuoke, branch in Bayelsa State, on Monday, against the 80 percent to 20 percent sharing formula of 2012 to 2016.

The protesting workers were displaying placards with inscriptions such as “JAC rejects 80%/20% sharing formula, University use your discretion for sharing, ‘We need fair sharing formula for earn allowance,” among others.

Addressing the protesters, SSANU branch chairman, Comr. Kalizibe Joseph, said the protest was in line with the directive from national secretariat that all branches should embark on three days peaceful protest nationwide against the proposed sharing formula of earned allowance.

He called on management to use it discretion and come up with a fair workable formula for all staffs of the institutions since it lies on the discretion of the universities and governing council and not on union basis.

According to Joseph, “issues of earned allowance is at the discretion of universities and governing council and not on union basis, we know that it is the bursary of the university that prepares what belongs to each staff from federal government.

“If it is unions, federal government would have paid the entire money to ASUU’s national account, and ASUU would do same by distributing to its branches.

“There is a CEO and assistant CEO that midwife the processes of this university, the money is already in coffers of university, it then means that the governing council will use its discretion in line with the number of staff and pay accordingly along side the bench mark that is stipulated.”

Responding, the Deputy Vice chancellor Prof. Teddy Charles, commended the unions for their peaceful disposition during the protest, adding that he will communicate their plights to the management.