The Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), has called on the Accountant- General of the Federation to urgently take proactive steps of resolving issues relating to anomalies associated with the payment of salaries of staff of federal colleges of Education through IPPIS payment plaform.
The call which was contained in a letter addressed to the AGF and made available to journalists in Gombe on at the weekend, said that the call was necessary to avoid impending industrial action.
The letter, signed by the National President of the union, Comrade Danladi Ali Misheliza recalled that the Office of the AG of the Federation through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) obtained an understanding from the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), as well as other Unions in Colleges of Education to enroll and commence the payment of staff salaries centrally.
“All written and unwritten observations and submissions made by the Union on the peculiarities of the colleges of education Salaries Structure and other negotiated benefits as contained in its Conditions of Service and the 2009 agreement between the Union and the Federal Government have failed woefully”, the union observed.
The Union observed some serious anomalies with the implementation of IPPIS while the experiences and the way and manner February, 2020 salaries were paid to the members had demonstrated that government was not to be trusted after all and that their doubts of its sincerity was genuine and confirmed hence the letter to OAGF.
It was in the light of these irregularities that during the Union’s meetings with the OAGF that the Union made reference to the insincerity of the OAGF, where 2% check-off dues were deducted and withheld since three years ago, during the payment of the promotion areas of beneficiary’s staff, from 2013 – 2017, which is yet to be remitted to Union’s account, since 2017.
Similarly, Principal Officers were grossly underpaid and they called on the OAGF to, as matter of urgency, address this anomaly and makeup all forms of underpayments to the affected staff immediately.
Union also called on the OAGF to receive all MoU’s on negotiated tax with various state governments, and also refund any excess of tax deducted from staff salaries.
Non- payment of staff on Sabbatical Appointment as provided for in the Laws and as earlier agreed with the OAGF is another challenge hence they also called on the OAGF to pay, with immediate effect, all outstanding salaries of the members on sabbatical leave without delay.
It is disheartening to note that the OAGF deducted at source, 2% of check-off dues, when salaries were paid for the months of January, under GIFMIS; February and March under IPPIS, but yet to remit same into the various organs of the Unions’ accounts is another problem for them.
