Indiscriminate Salary : Remain calm and united, we're on top of the situation - Unical ASUU Chair assures members

Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Calabar branch, Dr. John Edor has assured members whose February salaries have been withheld by the federal government for their refusal to enroll in the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) not to panic as the Union was on top the situation.

In a statement issued in Calabar and personally signed by the Chairman, Edor noted that the leadership of the Union and the Federal government have resumed negotiation with a view to persuading government to respect the laws of the land.

Recall that crisis have been brewing between ASUU and the federal government over the insistence of the government that Lecturers must enroll in the IPPIS. ASUU kicked against the payment platfoorm on the grounds that it negated the principle of autonomy of universities.

In a bid to compel ASUU members to join the platform, the federal government paid some Lecturers who are not ASUU members and a few members that enrolled their February salary while withholding the pay of majority members who rejected the platform.

Concerned by this development, the Unical chapter has assured members to remain calm and united while reaffirming that no amount of intimidation by government will change the Union's stance.

According to the statement titled "The State of the Union, and our On-going Struggle", Edor said that "On 9 March, 2020 our pragmatic Union declared a two-week warning strike against the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to, in the main, insulate the Nigerian education sector from toxic political interferences, by demanding FGN to respect the laws of the land, and implement agreements it voluntarily entered with ASUU: pacta sunt servanda!

The attention of the Branch Executive Committee (BEC) has also been drawn to the discriminatory payment of February salary via the IPPIS platform, ignoring the members of our Branch who obeyed our Union's directive by not enrolling unto the IPPIS.

There have been some engagements between FGN and ASUU since the resumption of our action". 

He added that "The Calabar Zone of ASUU rose from its meeting at Uyo over the weekend, culminating in a Zonal Press Conference. Be rock-solid assured: our irrepressible Union is on top of the situation, and unfolding 

developments are being closely monitored.

The Trustees, Principal Officers (POs), and Zonal Coordinators (ZCs) of our Union are scheduled for a meeting in Abuja this weekend. 

As a Branch, we are keeping tabs with developments, and shall be updating our members periodically.

For now, our hands are on the plough. There is no looking back".