By Appolos Christian
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), have directed their members across the country to commence a nationwide strike on 5th February, 2021.
SSANU and NASU said the strike became inevitable following Federal Government’s deaf ear attitude to so many unresolved issues that bedevils the country’s university system.
As reportedly widely, members of SSANU and NASU across the federation, embarked on a three days protest last week over government’s failure to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed with the unions on 20th October, 2020.
The Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU led by the National President SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, and General Secretary NASU Peters Adeyemi, when they addressed journalists in Abuja on Friday, stated only one out of the seven issues under contention, has partially been resolved.
According the duo, issues in question includes; inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, non payment of earned allowances, non payment of arrears of national minimum wage, delay in renegotiation of FG/NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement, non payment of retirement benefits of out gone members.
Other issues includes; teaching staff usurping headship of non teaching units in clear violation of conditions of service and establishment procedures, neglect and poor funding of state universities and non constitution of visitation panels for universities.
JAC said: “Out of the seven issues, only one has been partially resolved while the other six issues have not been attended to by government, three months after the Memorandum of Understanding was signed.”
JAC noted that after congress held at its branches, 90 percent of NASU members were in support of a strike and 10 percent stood against it. While 83 percent of SSANU members were in support of embarking on strike, 11 percent were against the strike and 6 percent were indifferent.
“It is in line with the resolution of our members nationwide that the leadership of the joint action committee of NASU and SSANU hereby resolve as follows;
“That members of NASU and SSANU shall embark on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike with effect from midnight of Friday, 5th February 2021.
“That two weeks’ notice effective from today, Friday 22nd January 2021, is hereby given to government and relevant stakeholders of this development.”
