By Tokunbo2

Copyright thesun

Urges govt to improve salary, hazard allowances for members

From Isaac Job, Uyo

The Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua chapter of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Estate Surveyor Nyeneime Raphael, has lauded Pastor Umo Eno for his commitment to workers’ welfare in the ARISE Agenda programmes.

Raphael also made a case for an increment of workers’ salary as well as hazard allowances for academic staff members of the institution.

Speaking during an interaction with newsmen in her office last weekend, Comrade Raphael appreciated Eno for tackling the health and well-being of workers in the state through the ARISE Care.

The ASUP chairman, who emerged as the first female to lead the union at the institution, commended the government for introducing the state government ARISE Care health insurance scheme, describing it as a landmark stride in the welfare of workers.

Her words: “The ARISE Care is a much welcomed development in the state, a situation where you can have a member register his/her spouse, three or four children under the age of 18 years is good and fine!”

She however appealed to the government to implement the scheme to fulfil its aims and objectives.

“We are pleading, we should not get to a point where the union will stand up against that programme.

“There should be adequate programmes made on ground. We have been made to understand that after 60 days of our own contributory support to the system, that we will be able to access those services.

“Already, deductions have started to come from our salaries. But we should be able to access those services, the ID cards should be out on time, for our members to get this services for their family members and themselves.

Raphael also pleaded with the state government to increase salary and hazard allowances for ASUP members as well as implementation of the 25–35 per cent salary increase which she said has been pending since January 2023.

“We are agitating for the 25-35 per cent salary increase that was on board since 1st January 2023.

“We were supposed to have that increase as of 1st January, 2023, because the national salaries and wages income committee had already implemented it.

“So many schools have already implemented it, like Bayelsa State. Why do we have Akwa Ibom State lagging behind?

“The increase in our salaries as at 2023, that should be implemented and we’re still pushing for it.”

The union leader lamented the current N2,000 hazard allowance for her members, describing it as grossly inadequate and outdated.

“You can’t imagine our members having N2,000 as hazard allowance, when other states, like Nasarawa is paying N15,000 to non-academic staff, and N30,000 to academic staff.

“That’s another thing that we are pushing for. If we have that in place, we wouldn’t even be shouting for so much of salary increase because our salaries will be better,” she said.

According to Raphael, the union has already met with the Commissioner for Labour and Manpower Planning, Hon. Ikoedem Ekong, and secured assurance that their demands would be presented to the governor.

“Another meeting with the government has been scheduled for early October we believe that Governor Eno will hearken to the voices of our members.

Raphael expressed hope that given the governor’s intentional disposition on workers’ productivity, he will respond favourably to the union’s ongoing demands for improved welfare and working conditions.

The ASUP chairman observed that transportation has become one of the major problems facing academic staff of the institution and appealed to Eno for provision of staff buses to ease the financial burden of transportation on members who travel long distances to work daily.

“Transportation has become so costly and has eaten into more than 50 per cent of our take home pay. You know that is enough to discourage people from coming to work regularly, because they will have to adjust their plan to fit into the amount that they are paying to come to work.

“But if we have a bus service for staff, we will fuel them. The union will make arrangements to ensure that the fuelling of these buses are being done, our members can come in one block to work.”

Raphael recalled the recent initiative by the union to cushion the effects of delayed salaries through a salary support initiative, adding that members can receive interest-free financial support and repay it fully once their wages were released.

“Sometimes back, we had a delay in our salaries, and for the first time, we launched a salary delay relief, a programme that assisted members who were in dire need for money to handle their financial challenge back home or within their workspace, and that alone was enough cushion to the hard times that they would have faced.

“Gladly, we thought that those we assisted would not pay back because it was interest free, when salaries came, all of them redeemed it.

“And that goes to show that people believe in you when you’re open to them,”