Jos – The national body of the Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU),
has threatened to invade the Plateau State
University (PLASU), Bokkos over the suspension
of its officials.
The university recently suspended the interim
chairman and secretary of the PLASU chapter
of SSANU, Messrs Timnan Rimdap and Dusu
Sambo Yaro.
The duo have been suspended for three
months, during which they would be entitled to
only half of their basic salaries.
Copies of the suspension letters, dated Jan. 17,
and signed by the institution’s Registrar, Mr
Amos Mallo, indicated that the duo were
suspended over many issues, some of which
bordered on the deductions of SSANU
members’ check-off dues.
Further details revealed that while management
insisted that the union must be formally
registered with the school to guarantee such
privileges, the union, quoting sections 3 (1),
and 46 (2) of the Trade Union Act 2004, argued
that only the Registrar of Trade Unions had
such power.
“The National President of SSANU – a
registered trade union – has granted approval
for the establishment of a branch thereof in
PLASU and the recognition of the union by an
employer is obligatory,” the SSANU local
officials argued, in one of the letters to
management.
NAN reports that after series of communication
on the matter, including queries and responses,
the management suspended the officials, and
barred them from entering the school unless
with the “express approval of the Vice
Chancellor, Registrar or Acting Chief Security
Officer”.
Reacting, Mr Solomon Alfa, the National Vice
President (North) of SSANU, expressed shock
at the development, and described the
suspension of the officials as “unacceptable”.
He said that the university’s chapter of SSANU
was inaugurated by the national body, which
conferred on the officials the rights to collect
the check-off dues of all registered members,
as contained in the SSANU constitution and the
Trade Union Act 2004.
“Before we inaugurated the chapter, we insisted
and confirmed that the members voluntarily
agreed to be part of us; we also told them of
the check-off dues, which is 2 per cent of their
basic salary, and they all agreed to paying it.
“So, we were surprised when we heard that the
school was unwilling to effect the deductions,
even when no one had objected,” he said.
He said that SSANU, on learning of the
school’s reluctance to effect the deductions,
directed the local chapter to write to the school
and enclose the trade union act, SSANU
constitution and membership list, to justify the
request.
“It did that, but could not change
management’s stance.
“We have tried to avoid a confrontation with
the school, but since things have turned this
way, we may be forced to invade the school to
ensure that the right thing is done,” he said.
He said that SSANU, after inaugurating the
PLASU chapter, wrote to formally notify the
school, but did not get an acknowledgement
from management, and described such attitude
to unionism as “sad”.
Alfa said that he was particularly surprised
that the Registrar of the school, Mr Amos
Mallo, who was supposed to be the number
one SSANU member, had not shown any
interest in the union, and was absent when it
was inaugurated on Nov. 23, 2016.
The SSANU official said that the inauguration
was a “formal endorsement the school ought to
have accepted”, pointing out that there was “no
other legal document” that surpassed it.
Alfa also reacted to allegations of bad
behaviour contained in the suspension letters.
“If the chairman or secretary is involved in any
misbehaviour, that should be brought to our
notice. So far, no such has been brought to us.
“I don’t know if there is any personal
disagreement between the officials and the
management which we do not know about. For
now, we believe that the suspension is over
union matters and shall step in to ensure
justice for our officials,” he said. (NAN)
