Auchi Polytechnic Told To Pay Unions’ N400m Debt

The Governing Council of
the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo has directed the management of the institution to pay the N400 million debt owed the institution’s staff unions .
The directive was the outcome of the council’s, February17 meeting , after a protest by the institution’s branch of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Non Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (NASUP).
Our correspondent reports that the unions had embarked on a protest to demand the settlement of the N400 million debt, as well as the enrolment of the staff into the IPPIS module.
The Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), is an e-payment platform for all Federal Public Sector employees in the country.
The council’s decision was contained in a statement signed by Mr Mustapha Oshobugie, the Public Relations Officer of the institution.
According to the statement, the council also directed the management to refund all monies owed the unions and ensure that its employees are enrolled into the IPPIS.
The council also directed “that the polytechnics should key into the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) as a prelude to the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
“All monies owed the unions should be refunded as soon as government concludes its verification exercise on payment of CONTISS 15 migration and releases the fund,’’ Oshobugie quoted the council as saying.
The council also directed the management to revert to the pre-CONTISS 15 payment of staff salaries with effect from February.
It urged the management to ensure that the normal procedure of payment of salaries be maintained until the polytechnic keys into the e-payment platform.
The council, however, condemned the action of SSANIP and NASU for taking to the streets of Auchi and disrupting the flow of traffic on the federal highway.
It described the action as “blackmail least expected from public servants in a tertiary institution.”