The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, will today (Thursday) meet with the leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities in a bid to halt a proposed strike.
A statement by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations at the ministry, Mr Charles Akpan said Ngige would host a meeting with bodies in Abuja.
The parley was in continuation of the dialogue called to resolve the dispute between the two unions and the Academic Staff Union of Universities over the sharing formula for the N40 billion earned allowances approved by the government and other demands.
The leadership of the two non-teaching unions had alleged that the Federal Ministry of Education and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were favouring ASUU members in the disbursement of the fund.
Apart from this, the SSANU and NASU also listed other grievances including inconsistencies in the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, non-payment of arrears of national minimum wage, delay in renegotiation of FG/NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement and non- payment of retirement benefits of outgone members.
Other issues in contention are the usurpation of headship of non-teaching units by the teaching staff in clear violation of condition of service and establishment procedures, neglect and poor funding of state universities and non-constitution of visitation panels for universities.
During the last meeting penultimate Tuesday, the FG and the unions set up a committee to resolve the dispute over the N40b earned allowances and the IPPIS.
Ngige had described the meeting as fruitful and expressed the hope that the dialogue would encourage the unions to suspend their strike.
But the unions said the strike would continue until the issues were resolved.
