IPPIS: ASUU LOST THE ARGUMENT
Having lost the argument on why her members should not be brought on the national integrated payroll management platform, Academic Staff Union of Universities is now making new demand that they want to create their own platform that FG must adopt otherwise they will go on strike.
This is blatant gerrymandering.
Fact is ASUU cant win this battle should the Federal Government decides to wield the big stick. There was no time ASUU demanded that IPPIS should be adjusted to accommodate ASUU special status. The union had rejected IPPIS from day one. FG actually sat with ASUU to demonstrate how the platform can accommodate peculiarities of ASUU members same way the system accommodated that of Doctors and other workers on special salary scales.
FG, according to Accountant General of the Federation, met academic staff Unions of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education same way it met ASUU. These other unions agreed to be on IPPIS only ASUU rejected for reasons best known to ASUU. I think ASUU has become overpampered union and thinks govt must always bend to their whimps.
On this IPPIS matter, ASUU has lost it and won’t get public support. ASUU is talking about autonomy. Which autonomy really? Autonomy from the government that is paying you and funding your schools. If it is about autonomy, the idea of a central ASUU as a trade union violates autonomy in itself. Why should a central ASUU, in a unitary style, negotiates for all govt owned Universities in Nigeria including state universities. Is Federal government the employer of ASUU members in state universities? Why should ASUU foist same agreement on state government on what their employees should earn without considering the ability of the States to pay?
The idea of ASUU itself violates autonomy.
ASUU has been talking about university autonomy for decades as if ASUU generates the money to run the universities and they must be allowed to spend it the way they want. If it is about autonomy then, each University and their governing council should be autonomous to handle all matters as they relate to employment, promotions, salary, discipline of staff etc.
At the end of the day, every group in Nigeria across sectors is only interested in preserving group interests and advantage yet they want the other party to change. Who really wants Nigeria to change when every move to reform is resisted?