SSANU ISSUES 2 - WEEKS ULTIMATUM TO PLATEAU VARSITY

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), has given the management of Plateau State University, Bokkos, a two-week deadline to withdraw the suspension of its officials in the institution.

The institution’s management had suspended Messrs Timnan Rimdap and Dusu Sambo, the interim chairman and secretary of the local branch of SSANU, for three months, in letters signed by its Registrar, Amos Mallo, and dated Jan. 27.

Rimdap is the head of the ICT unit, while Sambo is a staff of the academic planning unit.

The letters had hinged the suspension on management’s dissatisfaction with the duo’s responses to queries that bordered on indiscipline and union matters.

Various communications on the issues culminated in the suspension of the officials, who were barred from entering the school unless permitted by the Vice Chancellor, Registrar or Chief Security Officer.

Miffed by the suspension of its members, SSANU’s national headquarters, in a letter dated March 1, 2017 and signed by its National President, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, demanded “an unconditional withdrawal of the suspension letters”.

It also demanded that the officials be immediately recalled to their duty posts, and “an end to the intimidation and harassment the duo had suffered over time”.

SSANU also asked the school to commence the deduction and remittance of check-off dues of members, in line with the Trade Unions Act, 2005 as amended.

The union accused the management of being “confrontational to the association”, and particularly wondered why it had refused to allow the union to operate freely.

It also wondered why the management should insist on re-registering SSANU in the school, pointing out that such function was exclusively the duty of the Registrar of Trade Unions in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

SSANU described the suspension of the officials over their involvement in the union’s activities as “illegal and simply unacceptable”.

But the university’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. John Agams, said that he was aware of the letter, but did not know if it had been delivered to management officially.