ASUU, poly lecturers, others to get N34bn minimum wage arrears – FG

The Federal Government says it will spend about N34bn as arrears of Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustments in the education sector effective from 2019.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said this was aimed at resolving the lingering crisis in the sector.

He was addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday on the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of

Universities.

He said beneficiaries of the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustments included the members of the striking ASUU and their counterparts in the polytechnics and colleges of education.

He said universities would get N23.5bn; polytechnics, N6bn and colleges of education, N4bn.

The minister, while giving update on the ongoing striking, said committees were set up during the last tripartite meeting of the government and university based unions.

“Those committees are working. The one on NITDA is testing the three platforms, the government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

“Also, the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) of ASUU and the Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (UPPPS) of the non-teaching staff.

Ngige said there might likely be wage adjustments as the government intensified efforts to streamline wages through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

He appealed to ASUU and other university-based unions once more to suspend their strike.(NAN)