*Government,
ASUU meet today
The three
non-academic staff unions comprising the National Association of Academic
Technologists (NAAT), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated
Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities
(SAANU), would begin an indefinite industrial action from Monday, September 11,
2017.
This comes
as the Ministers of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige and his Education
counterpart, Adamu Adamu, are scheduled to meet the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) delegation today in Abuja with a view to reaching an
agreement with the striking varsities’ lecturers.
The Chairman
of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions, Samson Ugwoke, said yesterday in
Abuja that the staff unions are proceeding on strike due to the failure of the
Federal Government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached with
them in January this year following a five-day warning strike.
Ugwoke
added: “The January strike was suspended on January 18 through the intervention
of the Minister of Labour and Employment, who headed the Federal Government
team that interfaced with JAC. Unfortunately, seven months after, we are still
at the sorry situation we were before the Memorandum of Understanding was
signed as issues in contention were not addressed and government kept a dead
silence despite letters and entreaties reminding them of their commitment to
the non-teaching staff unions.”
The three
non-academic staff unions said 95 per cent of their members voted for a total
strike until the Federal Government opens a line of meaningful dialogue with
them.
“Having
cleared from our members and gotten a direction from them, we hereby announce
that the JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU has directed its members to embark on a
comprehensive, total and indefinite strike action, effective from Monday,
September 11, 2017. During the strike, there shall be no provision of services,
no matter how skeletal. Concessions shall not be granted while all our members
are to stay at home till further notice, unless as directed by JAC through
their respective Presidents,” he said.
The demands
of the unions are: payment of earned allowances; a review of the governance
system in the universities; improved funding in line with UNESCO
recommendations; provision of infrastructure in universities; payment of salary
shortfalls of members; implementation of the National Industrial Court judgment
on universities’ staff school.
Others are:
registration of pension fund; implementation of CONTISS 15 for technologists;
improvement of teaching and learning facilities in the universities; stemming
of tide of corruption in the university system; showing more commitment and
seriousness in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/universities unions agreements
and ensuring the headship of non-teaching units in non-teaching staff employed
for the purposes of those units.
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