Teachers protest removal of names from payroll

At least 60 teachers of the University of Ibadan Staff School in Oyo State have protested the removal of their names from the payroll of the University workforce.

The protesters were led by the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), UI chapter, Comrade Wale Akinremi, in company of his Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) counterpart, Comrade Malachi Etim.

Akinremi said about 65 teachers are currently affected.

He further disclosed that the union took up the matter after a congress resolution, and had written a letter in May 2019, in that direction to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka.

He added that when the management tarried in honouring the letter or even acknowledged it, they resolved to public protest to press home their demand, adding that they are ready to work with the management to finally lay the matter to rest.

Akinremi said: “the whole scenario emanated from a letter from the Federal Government which was misinterpreted to remove teachers of staff school from pay roll of federal universities.

“The same Federal Government took us to the industrial court and specifically in suit number NICN/ABJ/82/2016, judgement dated December 5, 2016, the court ruled in favour of the staff unions upholding that the university shall bear the full capital and recurrent costs of university staff primary schools.

“As I am talking to you, three years after this judgement, the teachers have not been returned to the payroll of the university. Information at our disposal, on the premise of the judgement of the National Industrial Court indicates that most universities which responded to the earlier circular from the Permanent Secretary, salaries incomes and wages commission have reinstated the teachers of their staff schools back to the payroll.

“University of Jos, Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA), University of Ilorin, University of Abuja, University of Lagos, all federal universities have concurred. Why is the case about University of Ibadan different?”

He said SSANU had written a three-page letter signed by himself as SSANU Chairman and secretary, Comrade Abiodun Omisore, to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olayinka on May 6 titled “Staff school matters”, where it expected the management to give them audience to resolve the matter.