Non-teaching
staff of universities, comprising the Senior Staff Association of
Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff of Educational and
Associated Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic
Technologists (NAAT) have called off their three months old strike.
Members have been directed to return to their duty posts with effect from today.
The three unions, under the platform of
the Joint Action Committee (JAC) commenced indefinite industrial action
December 4, 2017, to protest the Federal Government’s failure to
implement their 2009 agreement.
Other issues in contention bordered on
non-payment of allowances, usurpation of non-teaching staff jobs by
academic staff, disobedience of the National Industrial Court’s order on
funding of staff schools as well as corruption in the university
system, among others.
JAC Chairman, Samson Ugwoke, who
addressed a press conference at NAAT National Secretariat in Abuja,
yesterday, said government showed seriousness in meeting some of their
demands with a specific time frame and referred to payment of earned
allowances, visitation panels to universities in five weeks and staff
schools as some area where government made commitments.
Ugwoke decried government’s penchant for
not keeping to agreements, and added that the industrial action could
have been avoided.
“We have, therefore, directed our members
to resume work today. We, however, wish to state that the strike was
only suspended and shall not hesitate to resume to resume the strike if
government reneges on the agreements reached or delays in any aspects.
“We are resuming with one eye closed. We
trusted government before and they failed. This time around, if they
fail, the outcome and reaction will be grievous to the system,” Ugwoke
stated.
The unions also appealed to their members
to work hard, with more commitment towards covering up for what was
lost during the strike.
They regretted the pains the strike had
caused students and parents but added that their members were also
victims of the action because their children also attend Nigerian
universities.
Ugwoke further explained that government
has five weeks to implement all issues agreed upon and that at the
expiration of the period, all agencies of government concerned would
converge on the Ministry of Labour and Employment, to report the level
of compliance.
Minister of Labour and Employment,
Senator Chris Ngige, had, after a conciliatory meeting with the striking
unions, at the weekend, disclosed that government is shopping for N8
billion to pay them.
The resolution was jointly signed by
Ngige, NAAT’s President, Sani Suleiman, NASU’s General Secretary, Peters
Adeyemi, SSANU’s President, Samson Ugwoke and Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah.
Ngige also said part of the N8 billion
would be used to pay members of the Academic Staff of Universities Union
(ASUU), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the University of
Ilorin (UNILORIN); who were not paid during the last disbursement.
He further said the National Salaries
Income and Wages Commission will rework the December 15 Call Circular on
university staff schools.