The Plateau State University branch of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has said its members are expressing hardship over unpaid salaries for three months under Governor Simon Lalong’s administration.
A communique issued on Wednesday after an emergency meeting of the EXCO and signed by the Chairman, Timnan Rimdap and Secretary, Fom Dakwa, said members of the association are getting into four months without salary payment.
It noted that the Lalong administration started on a good footnote in terms of payment of salaries and pensions but the administration is derailing now that it is winding up.
“The Plateau State University Branch of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), at its emergency EXCO meeting deliberated extensively on the commitment of the Governor Lalong administration to the welfare of its members and staff of the University in general, especially as regards the payment of salaries.
“SSANU EXCO, at the end of its meeting, came out with far-reaching resolutions which are products of its deliberation and note with deep concern that though the Governor Lalong administration started well as far as issues of workers’ welfare are concerned, particularly in the area of prompt payment of salaries and pension, the administration appears to be indifferent about that obligation to staff of the University.
“SSANU notes with worry the untold hardship being faced by staff of the university who have laboured for three (3) months without salaries and are even due for the fourth month – February 2023.
“SSANU is disappointed that even though the Governor graced the recent convocation of the University, he didn’t address the problem of arrears of salaries owed staff of the institution.
“SSANU is taken aback by a statement credited to the State APC Chairman commending the State Governor for paying workers’ salaries and third-party deductions up to December 2022 while the staff of the State University have only been paid up to October 2022.”
The association expressed disappointment that the Lalong administration which prides itself on worker-friendly has gradually assumed an anti-Labour posture.
“SSANU calls on the Governor Lalong administration to live up to its obligation by clearing the backlog of salaries owed staff of the University in the next five (5) days in order to forestall the breakdown of industrial harmony,” it stated.