The meeting between the Federal Government team and the non-teaching staff in the universities under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, JAC, Tuesday, ended in a deadlock.
Recall that JAC comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU had threatened to shut down the universities starting from February 5 if the government fails to address some of the concerns they raised.
Among the issues include the issue of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, which the unions complained that they were having problems with since they migrated into the platform, and the non-payment of arrears of minimum wage since April last year.
Others are the disparity in the sharing of the N40 billion Earned Allowances in which the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU was allocated 75 per cent of the total sum leaving 25 per cent for three unions and the alleged usurpation of the functions of the non-teaching staff by the ASUU members.
To stave off the strike, Senator Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, who is the conciliator between the government and the unions convened a meeting in his office in Abuja.
However, Vanguard learned that the meeting ended without any resolution of the burning issues.
A source present at the meeting told one of our correspondents that the union members had to request for adjournment when it was clear to them that the government had nothing on the table for the amicable settlement of the contending issues.
