Richard Ginika Izuora
The Senior Staff Association Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities of federal universities said they would embark on a nationwide strike on February 5, over the non-implementation of an agreement entered with the Federal Government.
Mr Peters Adeyemi, NASU General Secretary confirmed the strike in a joint news conference by the leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions on Friday, January 22, in Abuja.
Adeyemi said that JAC has given the Federal Government up to February 5, to address its demands or face an indefinite industrial action.
“In line with the resolution of our members nationwide, that the leadership of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU hereby resolved that members of NASU and SSANU shall embark on an indefinite.
“This is comprehensive and a total strike with effect from midnight of Friday, February 5, 2021.
“That the two weeks’ notice, effective from today, January 22 is hereby given to the government and relevant stakeholders of this development,’’ he said.
Adeyemi said that demands of the unions include; inconsistencies in the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System, (IPPIS), non-payment of earned allowances, and non-payment of arrears of national minimum wage.
He said others were delay in the renegotiation of the FG/NASU as well as SSANU 2009 agreement; non-payment of retirement benefits of outgone members; neglect; and also poor funding of state universities.
He also noted that the unions were aggrieved over the government’s failure; to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on Oct. 20, 2020.
The union scribe also added that out of the seven issues, only one has been partially resolved; while the other six have not been attended to by the government, three months after the MoU was signed.
He, however, expressed dismay over the way as well as manner in which the N40 billion released by the government; as Earned Allowances was disbursed to the advantage of the academic staff.
“Our stand is that sharing money based on unions in the universities by the Federal Ministry of Education should stop.
“Our stand is that Federal Government must halt the release of funds for Earned Allowances until the outcome of the forensic audit conducted on the previous payments,” he said.