PALIARMENTARY Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) appears to be divided over the emergency meeting called by the National Assembly management to avert the union’s industrial action fixed for Monday, January 10, 2022.
The emergency meeting is scheduled to hold on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 11 am in the National Assembly.
THE CONCLAVE learnt Friday night that while some members of PASAN executives had resolved to attend the meeting, the vast majority of members of the union, according to feelers on Friday were not disposed to PASAN attending the meeting.
It was gathered that some members of executive of PASAN who said they would attend claimed that they wanted to take the opportunity to find out from the management the offer that would be made, like staggered payments of the entitlements, for example, from GL 01’10 February 2022 and GL 12 and above June, 2022.
But some members of PASAN have called on well-meaning staff members to call on PASAN Excos not to attend the meeting.
One of them said: “it is obvious that the top PASAN Exco insisting on attending the meeting has already pre-empted the meeting, which is not proper.”
THE CONCLAVE learnt that the Conditions of Service, which are the elephant in the room and crux of the matter, were Signed by the Executive Chairman of rhe National Assembly Service on the 17th of July, 2020.
The powers vested in him by the Nationsl Assembly Service (NASC) Act 2004 authorise the Commission to fix the Salaries and Allowances of all staff members of NASC AND National Assembly (NASS).
President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly signed the Supplementary Act 2021 in July/August, 2021.
Reports said that virement of N25 Billion request by President Muhammadu Buhari was approved by the Senate on 22nd December, 2021.
Besides, MoU was signed with intention of payments in “4th Quarter, 2021” which expired on the 31st December, 2021 as well as balance of 50% CONLESS, gratuity, children school fees to be captured in 2022 budget which had already become an Act on the 31st of December, 2021.
An insider said that “But to the shock of the staff members none of the items in the Conditions of Service for 2021 has been paid, let alone the continuation in 2022, which in a normal organisation, they pay in January of each year.”
The inisder in a chat with THE CONCLAVE, said: “We are therefore calling on well-meaning staff members to call on PASAN Excos not to attend this meeting because doing so is not in the best interest of the emoyees.”
Meanwhile, those opposed to the meeting have canvassed an alternative solution to the contending issue.
They said that going by disclosure that the N20 billion was for ‘Local Contractors’, “instead of another rounds of talks, drama, Mrmirandum of Understanding (MoU), instead of Memoranfum of Agreement (MoA), meetings, unnecessary circulars from aides of the divide, the best solution is to seek for bailout funds from the Federal Ministry of Finance in a similar manner the immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly got to pay CONLESS in 2018.
“Anything short of that is a waste of time and resources. However, if there is misinformation on the N20 Billion for ‘Local Contractors”, then correction of errors is allowed in accounting.
“Then the necessary steps can be taken within 12 hours to reverse the entries and settle the legitimate entitlements of staff members in order for peace to return to Nigerian symbol of democracy – The National Assembly Abuja.”
A staff member said that he was not for or against anybody but that the right thing should be done concerning the Conditions of Service.
He insisted that the Conditions of Service have to be met for the benefit of all including retirees and those who will retire in days, weeks, months and years ahead.
