Following the ongoing dispute between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on ranges of issues, the FG disclosed that it has made proposals to ASUU in efforts to resolve the pending disputes.
Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment made this known while addressing journalists on Tuesday after a meeting with ASUU representatives in Abuja.
The issues in dispute range from non-payment of earned academic allowances, university pension commission, and enrollment of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System among others.
He said, "We discussed some of the issues in our 2019 meeting, those that were not fully addressed, and made new proposals on behalf of the federal government to ASUU.
These issues range from funding for revitalisation of universities to earned academic allowances; salary shortfall, that existed in only one university, that is the Federal University of Technology, Akure; the issue of state universities and the coordinating committee and the issue of their meetings and interaction with the national economic council, payment of earned academic allowances, which has been done; the issue of the issuance of an operational certificate to National University Pension Commission ( NUPENCO) to lecturers pension scheme for lecturers."
The minister stated that in regards to the IPPIS issue, the FG and ASUU have explored possible options and proposals have been made to the union.
Also, he said the FG has made proposals on actualizing NUPENCO with a guideline of how the board will be established.
Speaking, the ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said significant progress was made in the meeting, adding that the issues regarding IPPIS enrollment were because discrepancies were experienced in the January and February salaries of those who registered.
