The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan chapter has threatened the management of the institution with labour unrest should it fails to reverse what it called ‘unpopular upward review of pension deductable from salaries and an increase in tax regime’.
ASUU in a letter entitled “Illegal pension deductions and Tax Regime” signed by its Chairman ,Deji Omole and addressed to the Pro-chancellor/chairman of council, noted that it was worrisome that the ‘retrogressive changes which have been communicated to Finance Officers of Faculties and College of Medicine were done without consultation or any form of input from the Staff unions particularly given that no change in the extant legislations governing pensions and tax administration has been effected’.
According to Omole, the congress of the union frowned at the development and asked the that the University Administration should cause a reversal of all actions taken on this matter and or others that it plans to take adding that a failure “to cause a reversal of this unpopular and condemnable action shall be seen as an invitation to anarchy and labour unrest on campus.”
While calling for the intervention of the pro-chancellor, ASUU noted that the purported action of the Administration is nothing but an affront and an infraction of the law governing pension administration adding that the action of the Administration, in view of its lack of compliance with the law and due process is null, void and of no effect.
In a related development, the union also asked the University Vice Chancellor, Idowu Olayinka, to commence immediate payment of promotion arrears of her members with some accumulating since 2010.
The letter jointly appended by the Chairman and Secretary Deji Omole and Peter Olapegba respectively noted that “Congress noted that its members whose promotions were announced since 2015 (with retroactive effect from 2010, 2011, 2012 etc.) have not been paid their promotion arrears. This situation is not acceptable to the Union and it’s seen as a compromise of members’ welfare which the Union exists to protect.”
The Union hereby requested that the University Administration commences the payment of promotion arrears of her members immediately failure which the Union may be forced to declare an industrial dispute.
