FG Extends Deadline for ‘No Pay’ Order on IPPIS – TheNigerialawyer

* NUC concludes negotiations with ASUU thursday

For federal government workers, including academic staff in
universities, who risk non-payment of salary for non-enrolment on
the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS),
now have relief as the deadline for enrolment has been moved from
October 31 to November 30, 2019.

The acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr.
Folasade Yemi-Esan, in a circular dated October 29, 2019 and marked
HCSF/CSO/HRM/M.1278/I/95, sighted by THISDAY, gave this window of
compliance, stating that the civil servants now have up to November
30 to complete the enrolment process.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been at
logger-heads with the federal government over a presidential
directive that all federal workers must migrate to the IPPIS
platform by October 31 or risk their names struck off the
payroll.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) is expected to
conclude negotiations with ASUU today over the dispute that federal
government has refused to compromise.

The Head of Service in the memo noted that for the purpose of
the final roll-out of the Human Resources Module of IPPIS, her
office had earlier issued two circulars directing all public
servants to update their records via an online portal.

“It is pertinent to emphasise that failure of any MDA and /or
employee to comply with the content of this circular will lead to
stoppage of the salary of the entire MDA and/or the affected
employee on the IPPIS platform,” she said.

“By this extension of the deadline, the federal government has
given federal civil servants till November 30 to update their human
resources records on the IPPIS or have their salaries suspended,”
she stated firmly.

While presenting the 2020 Appropriation Bill to a joint session
of the National Assembly on October 8, Buhari had said the
directive was targeted at managing personnel cost, which has
ballooned to over N3 trillion.

Thereafter the federal government gave October 31 as the cut off
date for enrolment, warning that anyone not on the platform by that
date would no longer be paid.
But ASUU opposed the move, saying the platform does not capture the
peculiarities of the structure of the university system, which is
flexible and pragmatic.

The ASUU President, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, confirmed to THISDAY
yesterday that the federal government had not yet implemented the
no-pay directive.
In a telephone chat, he said: “To the best of my knowledge, the
federal government has not enforced the no pay order,” adding that
he would not like to make further comments on the issue.

THISDAY also gathered from a source in one of the federal
universities that the October salaries of staff, including those of
lecturers had been paid.

He also said while the academic staff are yet to register with
IPPIS payment platform, most of the non-academic staff had enrolled
since 2014 and have been receiving salaries through the IPPIS.

The government took decisive step in 2007.

NUC Negotiates with ASUU over IPPIS

Meanwhile, NUC and the leadership of the ASUU have commenced
negotiations to allay the fears of the union on the IPPIS and
convince the university lecturers that the president’s directive
must be carried out.

The NUC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Ibrahim
Yakasai, who confirmed the negotiations in a chat with THISDAY
yesterday, said the commission was optimistic that ASUU would allow
its members to enrol on IPPIS by the end of the talks.

“We are meeting with them to make them understand further that
the directive of Mr. President must be carried out. He has given a
deadline of when all federal workers will join the IPPIS. In this
respect, the military, police and every organisation has
joined.

“In the university system, there are four unions namely ASUU,
SSANU, NASU and NATS. The three other unions have all agreed to
join. We are sure that ASUU, by the time the meetings we are having
with them is concluded, they are also likely to join,” he said.

Yakasai explained that the issue was that universities had some
peculiarities in their salaries, adding that when the Accountant
General of the Federation held series of meetings with several
unions including ASUU, all their peculiarities were taken into
consideration.

“The software was adjusted to solve the peculiarities of the
Nigerian university system. So, we are pleading with them to see
reason and withdraw their objection and join their colleagues in
the role of the IPPIS,” he said, adding: “In any case, ASUU is just
one-third of the workforce in the university system. Two-thirds
have accepted and ASUU’s issue has been dealt with.”

He said the issue of legality or illegality of the IPPIS should
not arise because the employer had the right to determine how the
worker would be paid.
“What is important is that he pays you the right amount in which
government has demonstrated it’s commitment to do. We are sending
more appeals to ASUU and I am sure that at the end of the meetings,
the problems will just fall away,” he said.