From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Ondo State government-owned University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, has declared that the staff of the university are not owed.
Reacting to allegations of non-payment of salaries made by the Senior Staff Association of the University (SSANU), the university’s management said several arrears of salaries had been paid to its staff in the last few months.
The Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Isaac Oluyi, said the Prof. Adesegun Fatusi-led administration had cleared the backlog of salary arrears owed in the past.
He said, “In the last two months, under the leadership of Professor Adesegun Fatusi, staff of the university have received several arrears, particularly palliatives and 25 per cent consequential adjustments.”
“The university has also approved payment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) with effect from July 2024 to its medically qualified lecturers, a policy yet to be implemented by most universities (including federal universities).”
“The university is actually leaving no stone unturned to ensure that staff welfare is prioritised at all times. In fact, the administration also ensured that, contrary to the situation it met on the ground, salaries are now being paid regularly on a monthly basis, usually around the 25th of the month.”
“It is also pertinent to note that the Fatusi-led administration has been paying an annual end-of-the-year bonus to all staff over the last two years. This is a rare feat in public institutions, despite the fact that the administration has more than doubled the workforce over the last four years.”
“It is therefore curious that SSANU is raising dust at a time when the university has made their welfare a top priority, and the only way to do that is to destabilise a system that is known for peace and an uninterrupted academic calendar.”
“Let it be known that the entire story about the non-payment of salary is untrue and the public should discountenance it. The 10th anniversary of the university is not a jamboree; rather, it is an innovative method to further develop the university and it is being done with the full support of the Governing Council,” Oluyi added.