SSANU strike - Another face-off for TSA

When the Federal Government mooted the idea of Treasury Single Account (TSA), not many envisaged that the scheme would land government in a fresh round of industrial impasse with universities' staff.

Few months after the TSA scheme kicked off, however, government realised that universities have a huge wage bill, as it was discovered that previous administrations bankrolled the university-run Demonstration and Staff schools.

The new government apparently considered the situation another form of 'leakage in the system' and decided to disengage the 'extra' staff. Fund for the schools have been captured in the TSA account and government is seeking a justification to continue with the arrangement.

Government, therefore, terminated the appointment of about 2,000 teachers in Staff Schools late last year, which would take effect from this month.

However, this development kick-started a fresh industrial action from December 24 by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), which is insisting there is nothing untoward in government bearing the burden of salaries at the university staff schools. They argue that the directive was against the spirit of agreements reached with the union in 2009, and it would be tantamount to increasing the burden of educating children and wards of university staff and members of its immediate community.

The action has grounded most universities since resumption this year, as administrative work has suffered and the students are caught in the fireworks. Medical Centres in the universities run skeletal services and graduated students seeking clearance for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation are left hanging in the balance.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has appealed to the striking workers to call off the action, promising to consult with stakeholders involved in the matter, including the Budget Office and the National Universities Commission (NUC), before taking any action.

After its National Executive Council (NEC) met on Wednesday, chairman of SSANU, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Adekola Adetomiwa, said the association has resolved to continue the strike action until government withdraws the sack letters.

"We are on strike because we want sack letters issued to Staff School teachers to be withdrawn, especially in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), University of Ilorin and Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto (UDUS). The directive is against the 2009 agreement with government, which allows 100 per cent funding of staff schools. That is the minimum condition for us to call off the strike," he said.

Reacting to the argument that government can no longer bankroll the staff school teachers because they are not academic teaching staff of the universities, he said that the belief was erroneous as the teachers have always been on the payroll of government all along, adding, "They were given appointment letters just like the Vice Chancellors and other staff at the universities. They have been on the payroll for about 20 to 35 years; no one can suddenly wake up and disengage them.

"Even when the University College, Ibadan was established in 1948, the British-funded elementary schools of children of the staff. What is the difference? There are a lot of people who are not academic staff in the system, such as the medical centre staff, and engineers. Why would the teachers that would be in charge of the children of the staff and members of the surrounding communities be the ones to suffer?"

He said that the money meant to fund the staff schools have been taken over by government through the TSA and the most worrisome bit of the situation is that, deploying the Fiscal Responsibility Act, government would now take over 80 per cent of the money.

"Now, this same government wants to sack these people. Are the schools going to survive on the tuition paid by university staff? So many people do not pay tax in Nigeria and government wants to take the money belonging to the schools to run its affairs. Government seriously has to reorder its priorities. The Minister of Education should sit down and take a critical look at this case. If they get it wrong, it can dent the image of government. The policy was sustained by previous administrations."

He stressed that the university staff would have to spend more in training their children, if the directive is not reversed, adding,

"At the University of Lagos International School, students are paying about N150, 000. That means that parents are to pay about N500, 000 yearly. But in the staff school, they don't pay anything, except a development levy of N6 000. But if government withdraws these staff, the parents would pay more money. Now, the money government ought to pay has been withdrawn without informing the Vice Chancellors. The money, which includes that for primary and secondary schools and even endowment fund, was domiciled at the Central Bank."

A recent graduate of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Divine Neekwanu said he has been unable to complete his final clearance because of the strike.

Said he: "I left Port Harcourt for Benin to complete my final clearance in school, but no one is attending to us. They say SSANU is on strike. This is very painful because the mobilisation process has started already and this may impinge on my chances of being mobilised for service this year."

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