6th February, 2013 PRESS RELEASE All ASUSS Members here present, Gentlemen of the press, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen. Though with greatest dismay, we welcome you all to this memorable press centre i.e. NUJ secretariat Bauchi. This press release came as a child of necessity following the leaked circular dated 18th January, 2013 captioned “DISCONTINUANCE OF 10% DEDUCTION FROM WORKERS SALARIES”, addressed to the Honourable Commissioner Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Bauchi, Bauchi State, in which the Head of Civil Service Bauchi State Mr. Abdon Dallah Gin suggested to His Excellency Mal. (Dr). Isa Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi) the Executive Governor of Bauchi State on how to go on the deduction of salaries of civil servants in the state from the allowances graciously and executively approved to them by His Excellency the Governor as a result of refusal by the workers for the continued deduction of 10% from their monthly salaries which they earlier agreed for four (4) months i.e. September to December, 2012, to cushion the financial position of the state government in place of retrenching any worker in the state (see the agreement attached). It was as a result of this open privilege, that the state government went further to deduct 5% from the 15% of 2012 leave grant of grade level 14 and above officers without recourse to anything, forgetting that the said leave grant is a right and not a privilege to those officers hence their counter parts on grade level 01 to 13 in the service of the state government had already enjoyed their own. Yet the unconcerned labour leaders in the state could not say anything about it, hence they know better what had transpired between them and government. We should like to at this juncture, on behalf of the entire secondary school teachers in Bauchi State, Congratulate Mr. Abdon Dallah Gin the Head of Civil Service Bauchi State for yet having additional responsibility to serve as adviser on finance to the Executive Governor of Bauchi State. As the name implies, “Head of civil Service” means that he is the leader of any person in the civil/public service in Bauchi State and where an individual or group of individuals in the service of the state are in problem, need to run to the him for protection and security but in the present situation, the opposite is the case. The Head of Civil Service should be made to understand that before and up to his appointment as the state Head of Civil Service, he is an icon in the eyes of many civil servants in the state because of his wealth of experience, patience, tolerance, punctuality, dedication, hard work e.t.c. As such, the Head of Civil Service should not neglect all these qualities thereby ruing his personality in an attempt to serve the selfish interest of an individual or a group, he should understand that he cannot serve two (2) conflicting interests equally at the same time. So, he is either the Head of Civil Service or adviser on finance to Bauchi State Government. So that we can pray to God for an alternative head of service while wishing him the best in his new office. Attached is the leaked circular carrying the suggestion of the Head of Service on Finance to His Excellency the governor of Bauchi State that seriously hit the workers in the state. However, the Head of Civil Service Bauchi State and the State Government were not able to tell the civil servants and the entire people of the state the total amount generated by the government from the four (4) months deducted 10% salaries of the civil servants and what it was used for, so as to encourage the workers to sacrifice more from their salaries for the development of the state as patroits. Instead, they only remain silent and created an illegal way of making unnecessary and illegal deductions from the civil servants salaries in the state. Well, it should be made to understand that the allowances given to secondary schools teachers in the state was struggled for by their union (ASUSS) as professional allowance and was executively and unconditionally approved by His Exellency Mal. (Dr). Isah Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi), the Executive Governor Bauchi State. Is an executive and unconditional approval not legally binding. The government of Bauchi State should note that even if the allowances were conditionally approved by His Excellency the Governor, the state government have no legal basis to deduct any part of the allowances without prior notice to the beneficiaries of such allowances at least for a period before the deduction. However, teaching we believe is one of the old professions if not the oldest on earth, the allowances approved by His Excellency being professional in nature, were approved to enhance the condition of service of secondary schools teachers in the state. As such, we cannot accept tempering with the allowances in anyway. (Attached is the circular for clarification on the said allowances). May we use this opportunity to draw the attention of His Excellency Mal. (Dr). Isa Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi) the Executive Governor Bauchi State to immediately direct the appropriate quarters in his government for the proper and legal negotiation of Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) National minimum wage. To the best of our knowledge, we in ASUSS as family members of TUC, the N18,000 national minimum wage was illegally and purportedly negotiated in Bauchi State between the office of the Head of Civil Service Mr. Abdon Dallah Gin, Yahaya Y. Yashi the then Chairman Joint Negotiation Council Bauchi State and Comrade Hashimu Mohammed Gital the State Chairman N.L.C without the TUC, which I was the state TUC chairman at that time. This was mischief and a serious misconduct as well as gross violation of the labour act which is a focal point of the negotiation and any agreement reached therein between the employer and the employee. The amended Trade Union Act laws of the federation of Nigeria 2005 section 25 (1) has this to say on collective bargaining “For the purposes of collective bargaining, all registered unions in the employment of an employer shall constitute an electoral college to elect members who will represent them in negotiations with the employer”. While section 25 (2) goes further to say that, “For the purposes of representation at tripartite bodies or any other body, the registered federations of Trade Union shall constitute an electoral college taking into account the size of each registered federation, for the purpose of electing members who will represent them”. Going by this act, can anybody attest to the fact that TUC and NLC met and elected their members to represent them in the negotiation or even the trade Unions in the state? More particularly, I Abdullahi Mohammed Tanko was the state chairman TUC Bauchi State Council at the time of the purported illegal negotiation on the Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) national minimum wage which took place between the state government, Yahaya Y. Yashi the then chairman joint negotiation council Bauchi state, Hashimu Mohammed Gital State Chairman NLC and one Dauda Katagum the impostor who signed for TUC Bauchi State Council as Chairman. To further consolidate our position on the un-holistic, illegal and purported negotiated N18,000 National minimum wage in Bauchi State, the following is the comparative analysis on the negotiation between Bauchi State Government, Borno State Government and representatives of labour Unions in the two States. The representatives of government in Bauchi State includes, the Head of Civil service, permanent secretary Establishment and servicom matters Bureau and Permanent Secretary General Administration while the labour side was represented by the chairman Joint Negotiation Council, the Chairman NLC and the impostor representing the TUC. Whereas in Borno State, the government side was represented by the Head of Civil Service, permanent secretary Establishment and service matters, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice, office of the State Auditor General, office of the State Accountant General and Ministry of Local Gov’t and Chieftaincy Affairs, while the labour side was represented by the state chairmen of NLC, TUC, Joint Negotiation Council Borno State and their secretaries. To crown it all, the negotiation and agreement were done in the presence of controller, Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Borno State as witness. Going by the above comparative analysis of the two states, which of the agreements was done legally, sincerely, honestly, holistically and more acceptable on the side of law and by any human reasoning (see the agreements attached). To further buttress our position on the purportedly Kangaroo negotiated N18,000 National minimum wage in Bauchi State in comparison with some Northern states some of which have fallen within the same geo-political zone with Bauchi State. These states include Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Borno. Below is the comparative analysis of the agreed National minimum wage by each of these states with the purported one agreed in Bauchi State. S/N STATE GL/STEP SALARY GL/STEP SALARY 1. Bauchi 07/1 N29,410.47 07/9 N38,225.31 2. Borno 07/1 N33,170 07/9 N42,780 3. Nasarawa 07/1 N44,559 07/9 N57,743 4. Plateau 07/1 N37,457.97 07/9 N47,510.63 5. Taraba 07/1 N36,689 07/9 N47,316 1. Bauchi 08/1 N33,087.82 08/9 N42,130.31 2. Borno 08/1 N42,286 08/9 N53,618 3. Nasarawa 08/1 N57,581 08/9 N73,269 4. Plateau 08/1 N47,253.88 08/9 N58,889.66 5. Taraba 08/1 N47,188 08/9 N59,836 1. Bauchi 09/1 N37,453.67 09/9 N47,886.65 2. Borno 09/1 N49,558 09/9 N63,038 3. Nasarawa 09/1 N67,639 09/9 N86,311 4. Plateau 09/1 N54,867.67 09/9 N68,209.78 5. Taraba 09/1 N55,297 09/9 N70,355 1. Bauchi 10/1 N43,191.53 10/9 N54,446.53 2. Borno 10/1 N58,068 10/9 N72,898 3. Nasarawa 10/1 N79,398 10/9 N99,950 4. Plateau 10/1 N63,268.19 10/9 N77,940.14 5. Taraba 10/1 N64,778 10/9 N81,338 1. Bauchi 12/1 N49,044.03 12/9 N66,223.43 2. Borno 12/1 N68,008 12/9 N91,278 3. Nasarawa 12/1 N91,584 12/9 N123,448 4. Plateau 12/1 N71,972.58 12/9 N94,730.51 5. Taraba 12/1 N74,992 12/9 N100,288 1. Bauchi 13/1 N54,777.62 13/9 N72,941.13 2. Borno 13/1 N75,767 13/9 N97,266 3. Nasarawa 13/1 N102,228 13/9 N135,820 4. Plateau 13/1 N79,567.91 13/9 N103,627.95 5. Taraba 13/1 N83,175 13/9 N110,331 1. Bauchi 14/1 N57,855.93 14/9 N76,537.06 2. Borno 14/1 N83,566 14/9 N110,007 3. Nasarawa 14/1 N112,900 14/9 N149,156 4. Plateau 14/1 N87,198.38 14/9 N113,100.32 5. Taraba 14/1 N91,787 14/9 N121,022 1. Bauchi 15/1 N64,919.42 15/9 N90,017.40 2. Borno 15/1 N91,838 15/9 N126,891 3. Nasarawa 15/1 N155,317 15/9 N206,677 4. Plateau 15/1 N118,598.18 15/9 N156,150.16 5. Taraba 15/1 N125,985 15/9 N167,392 1. Bauchi 16/1 N91,295.90 16/9 N121,458.23 2. Borno 16/1 N99,482 16/9 N140,770 3. Nasarawa 16/1 N192,136 16/9 N253,848 4. Plateau 16/1 N143,916.35 16/9 N188,534.60 5. Taraba 16/1 N155,669 16/9 N205,429 It should be noted however, that any grade level 15 officer in Plateau State shall be entitled to one domestic servant who is an officer on grade level 03/8 whose monthly salary is N24,973.85 while a grade level 16 officer in the state shall be entitled to two domestic servants of the same grade level 03/8. All this is added to the monthly salaries of the said officers. Furthermore, a part from Bauchi, Borno being the least paid of the states we brought herein our analysis, the Borno State Governor recently, increased the salary of all the civil servants in his state by 30% of the basic salary. From the foregoing, can Bauchi State government claim to be fair and just to the civil servants on the so called purportedly Kangaroo negotiated National minimum wage? Attached are the tables of the negotiated Eighteen Thousand naira (N18,000) National minimum wage of the states we have analysed above one of which is the Plateau state Professional Teachers Salary Structure (PTSS) for your perusal and further objective analysis please. It should further be noted that, immediately the agreement on the national minimum wage was released by the Bauchi state government, we in TUC drew the attention of the state Head of civil service to that effect. Attached are the series of correspondences between the union, office of the Head of service and Director Labour Federal Ministry of labour, Employment and Productivity Bauchi State which resulted into meeting by the three (3) parties on 2nd and 10th November, 2011 respectively that ended in deadlock and was adjourned to 22nd December, 2011. The current chairman TUC Bauchi State stands a better position to tell us further what happened hence my leaving as the state TUC chairman and his been sworn in as the next TUC chairman in the state on 2nd December, 2011. In any case, to the best of our knowledge, that meeting has not been concluded to date. We therefore, wish to call on Comrade Mohammed Usman Misau the chairman TUC Bauchi State to immediately summon a meeting of all TUC affiliate Unions Executive members so as to hear from him the position of the impending N18,000 National minimum wage started by his predecessor Comrade Abdullahi Mohammad Tanko Ningi, failure to which we in ASUSS will be left with no option than to move for a vote of no confidence against him. Is that’s why him and his collaborators in TUC, always embark on campaign of calumny that only Bauchi State indigene can be state chairmen of TUC? What an irony? Inspite of the pronouncement of the so called allowances given to secondary schools teachers in Bauchi State by the state government, yet no secondary school teacher in the state that take home a monthly salary equal or close to a teacher of his grade level in either of the states we have enumerated above whose salaries are purely based on the Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) national minimum wage. Gentlemen of the press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in addition to all that we have said above, below is further comparative analysis of these five enumerated states on the monthly grant allocation from the federation account as from December, 2011 to August, 2012, as follows:- DECEMBER, 2011 1. Bauchi N4,978,809,156.15k 2. Borno N5,235,727,719.26k 3. Nasarawa N3,639,830,294.97k 4. Plateau N4,544,945,778.71k 5. Taraba N4,607,818,382.45k JANUARY, 2012 1. Bauchi N4,390,220,386.42k 2. Borno N4,602,999,086.80k 3. Nasarawa N3,230,079,599.38k 4. Plateau N4,087,343,652.94k 5. Taraba N4,084,458,050.68k FEBRUARY, 2012 1. Bauchi N5,624,136,050.20k 2. Borno N5,832,689,954.46k 3. Nasarawa N4,118,727,018.34k 4. Plateau N5,117,738,365.83k 5. Taraba N5,112,586,378.33k MARCH, 2012 1. Bauchi N4,459,033,990.20k 2. Borno N4,646,689,275.53k 3. Nasarawa N3,267,241,787.05k 4. Plateau N4,143,309,338.40k 5. Taraba N4,129,574,599.20k APRIL, 2012 1. Bauchi N4,402,271,724.89k 2. Borno N4,600,517,526.11k 3. Nasarawa N2,999,260,780.97k 4. Plateau N3,804,895,433.09k 5. Taraba N3,800,627,772.88k JUNE, 2012 1. Bauchi N3,822,917,288.58k 2. Borno N4,424,076,937.40k 3. Nasarawa N2,637,790,944.54k 4. Plateau N3,637,790,817.47k 5. Taraba N3,670,805,271.72k JULY, 2012 1. Bauchi N5,513,762,947.87k 2. Borno N5,653,146,863.53k 3. Nasarawa N3,775,700,041.43k 4. Plateau N4,702,466,453.31k 5. Taraba N4,691,872,896.87k AUGUST, 2012 1. Bauchi N4,123,250,704.46k 2. Borno N4,392,155,565.18k 3. Nasarawa N2,869,704,273.47k 4. Plateau N3,644,084,933.22k 5. Taraba N3,654,794,229.50k Investigations have revealed that, the work force in Bauchi State is not in anyway higher than that of any of the states in question. As such, one wanders as to why the low payment of salaries to civil servants in Bauchi State in comparism to those states, as far the Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) national minimum wage is concerned, inspite of the high level of Fellow Comrades, it will be recalled that sometimes in June last year, eight (8) of our members were served with compulsory retirement letters by the state Ministry of Education alleging that their service is no longer required and uptil now they could not be paid any benefit for the years they spent in the service. Instead, only to be served with another letter dated 6th November, 2012, affirming the position of the State Ministry of Education on their compulsory retirement. All correspondences written and copied by the compulsorily retired officers as well as the ones addressed and copied by their only viable Union ASUSS to the offices of the Head of Civil Service, Honourable Commissioner Ministry of Education, Chairman Teachers Service Commission Bauchi, Chairman Civil Service Commission Bauchi, Commissioner of Police Bauchi State command, Director SSS Bauchi State e.t.c. with a view to redressing the issue, proved abortive. In the same vein, following the individual and collective agreement by ASUSS members in the state to deduct at source Five Hundred Naira (N500) from their monthly salaries and be remitted to ASUSS as welfare contribution also proved abortive by the state government inspite of series of correspondences to the office of the Head of Civil Service appealing for the deduction, but when the union agreed on behalf of the teachers to cushion the financial position of the state government via 10% deduction of the teachers monthly salaries for four (4) months, the government shamelessly went head to make the deduction. Gentlemen of the press, it will interest you to note that the 2007 Bauchi State government white paper on GDSS Yelwan Tudu (Baban Takko) crisis, directed that all appointments of non indigene into the service of the state be converted to permanent and pensionable. This has been kept in abeyance, ever since then. We have been battling with the state Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to comply with that directives like the Special Schools Management Board (SSMB) hence there is no single contract officer serving with the Board now. Another issue we have been battling on with the state Ministry of Education, is the promotion of teachers viz sa viz the appointment of Junior officers into offices in our schools which brought about inferiority and superiority complex that boils down to lack of commitment, indiscipline and low performance of both the teachers and the students. e.t.c. It should be noted that, we in ASUSS unlike our counter part in NUT, are not afraid of being screened as teachers. After all no teacher or any professional that will be screened outside his or her area of specialization. Though not a happy development, but what happened resently between SUBEB and NUT in Bauchi State is quite interesting hence our society is now informed that teaching as a profession is not for everybody but for specially qualified individuals. The question here is, who was responsible for the employment of the unqualified teachers in our schools? Hence no individual that has employed himself into the services of government. Is the governor aware that many politicians were given slots to bring any body to teach, while others use money to pave their way into the job. May we use this opportunity to draw the attention of his Excellency Mal. (Dr). Isa Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi) the Executive Governor Bauchi State to note that, what matters most on the entire issue whether in SUBEB, Local Education Authorities or Teachers service commission, about teachers recruitment, is the integrity and capability of the people saddled with such responsibility. Following the above mentioned analysis and the problems therein, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) Bauchi State chapter, in its emergency meeting of the various Local Administrative Councils (LAC) and that of the State Central Working Committee (SCWC) held at the Union State Secretariat on Saturday 2nd February, 2013, resolved as follows:- 1. That all teachers in Public Secondary Schools and Primary Schools under the state Ministry of Education and Special Schools Management Board should embark on an indefinite boycott of classes until the following demands are met by the Bauchi State Government. 2. The union plead for the immediate refund of all the monies deducted by the government from its members January, 2013 salary and call for the stoppage of further deductions. 3. The union demand for the refund of 5% deducted from the leave grant of its members on grade level 14 and above. 4. As family members of TUC, we demand for the proper and legal negotiation and implementation of Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) national minimum by the state government hence the one claimed to have been done is not legally binding by the laws of the land. 5. The State Ministry of Education should immediately re-engage the eight (8) purported compulsorily retired officers and pay them all their salaries and other entitlements from the period of their purported retirement to date. 6. The Union plead for the deduction of Five Hundred Naira (N500) each from the salaries of its members on monthly basis and the sum be remitted to the Union (ASUSS) as welfare contribution. 7. The union plead for the immediate conversion of all the contract officers among its members into permanent and pensionable appointment by the State Ministry of Education as contained in 2007 government white paper on GDSS Yelwan Tudu (Baban Takko) crisis. 8. The union also plead for the release and implementation of all the impending promotion of teachers by both TSC and State Ministry of Education. 9. The union also plead with the State Ministry of Education to respect seniority in appointing principals, vice principals and other key office positions in our schools so as to avoid inferiority and superiority complex among teachers. Fellow comrades, Gentlemen of the press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the total boycott of classes by the teachers in question, commences immediately after this press release until the above stated demands are met by the state government. As the state government went ahead to deduct our salaries without any notice nor agreement, so also, we are paying government in the same coin, therefore, this press release is hereby served on government as notice being our reaction to her action. All schools and Local Government Officials of ASUSS are hereby directed to organise and monitor their areas of jurisdiction in connection to the impending issue. You are furthermore advised to remain calm, focused and resolute irrespective of threat, intimidation and insinuations from any part of the state. Finally, all ASUSS members will be officially informed of what ever development in due course. Thank you very much for listening, and wishing you safe journey back to your various destinations. May God bless you all. ASUSS forward ever. - Long live ASUSS! - Long live TUC! - Long live Bauchi State! - Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria! Yours in the struggles. Comr. Abdullahi Mohammed Tanko Comr. Bala Ayuba ASUSS Chairman (Ag). State Secretary Bauchi State Chapter ASUSS Bauchi State.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:19:55 +0000
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