TheCable

The Federal University of Technology, Minna chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the federal government of withholding its check-off dues for the month of November.

Check-off due is the money deducted from an employee’s salary for membership in a union or an organisation that represents workers in a particular industry.

According to The PUNCH, Gbolahan Bolarin, FUTMINNA ASUU chairman, alleged that the federal government deducted the money from members’ November salaries but failed to remit it to the union’s account.

“Despite the pro-rata salaries that were paid for the month of November, those who got their pay slips observed that check-off dues and cooperative dues were deducted, but the issue now is that the account of ASUU was not credited,” Bolarin was quoted as saying.

“The government credited the cooperatives but refused to credit ASUU.

“Now, this is the question. Since you claimed you paid us pro-rata, from where did you deduct the check-off and cooperative dues?

“And since the check-off dues were deducted, why wasn’t ASUU’s account credited? You deducted union dues from the source, but you failed to credit the union.”

But reacting, the newspaper quoted the ministry of labour and employment as saying for four years, ASUU refused to submit an audited report of the dues it collected from its members.

Olajide Oshundun, spokesperson of the ministry, reportedly said the ministry wrote to ASUU asking for the monies collected but the union did not reply its letters.

He added that the ministry, thereafter, decided that the check-off amount due for the month of November should be withheld from the union until it releases the audited report.

“Constitutionally, there is a provision of the Trade Union Act (section 37, subsection 1) that says every year, ASUU must render an account of money remitted to the body,” Oshundun was quoted as saying.

“All ASUU members get a monthly deduction, which is usually given to ASUU every month to run their secretariat.

“They are also to submit an audited report of this money every year, but for four consecutive years. ASUU didn’t do that.

“The ministry wrote to ASUU, asking why they haven’t submitted the audited report of monies collected for four years. ASUU got that letter and didn’t respond to it.

“They didn’t even write to acknowledge the receipt of the letter. A reminder letter was subsequently sent to ASUU, which was also ignored.

“Then the ministry decided that the check-off amount due, deducted by IPPIS for November, should not be released to ASUU. So, when they respond and explain how they spent the money released, the money held by IPPIS will be released to them.”

The union is still in a dispute with the federal government over the non-payment of lecturers for the period they were on strike in 2022.