Lecturers, under the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, on Sunday kicked against the deductions made from their February salary due to their enrollment in the Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System.
The lecturers noted that the Federal Government did not consider the peculiarities of tertiary institutions in the IPPIS.
The union added that their members’ February salary “did not include the Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance” and their colleagues on sabbatical leave were also not paid.
The COEASU National President, Nuhu Ogirima, in a statement in Abuja, lamented that the lecturers’ pension and the “imposed obnoxious tax deductions were effected on gross earnings of staff, which included non-taxable allowances, as against the basic salary on which such deductions ought to be effected.”
Ogirima said, “It is evident that the peculiarities of the Colleges of Education subsector, despite the stakeholders’ meetings with IPPIS office, prior to its implementation, have not been reflected.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the February salary paid by the Federal Government did not include the Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance. Also not paid are staff on sabbatical leave. In addition, indiscriminate deductions were effected on all staff salary, for the National Housing Fund, a voluntary scheme to which most staff did not subscribe.
“The union views this as a serious breach of trust and therefore considers the Federal Government’s betrayal as unacceptable. We therefore state that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation should, as a matter of urgent concern, take steps to ameliorate this situation.”
The COEASU added that it was preparing to convene its Expanded National Executive Council meeting to deliberate on further action on IPPIS and other issues.
Source: Punch