SSANU, Others Commence Strike, Shun Meeting With FG

The federal government has rescheduled a meeting with Striking Non teaching Staff unions of Nigerian public universities, following the failure of the unions to honour yesterdays meeting called by the minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige

The deputy director at the ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowokere said it is the desire of the minister of Labour to have all parties present at the meeting.

The unions include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the chairman of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the three unions, who is also the President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke said the invitation for the meeting by the minister was too short as majority of the officials of the three unions were outside Abuja.

It would be recalled that the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the three unions had last Thursday given a notice of their intention to embark on a nationwide strike action beginning from  yesterday.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the chairman of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the three unions, who is also the President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, said the nationwide strike would be total and comprehensive.

“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.

He listed reasons for its decision to embark on strike to include the non-payment of earned allowances, lack of good governance, poor funding as against the UNESCO recommendation, inadequate infrastructure in universities, abandoned projects, irregular payment of salaries, implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for technologies and corruption in the university system.

Others include, registration of NUPEMCO (pension management scheme) showing more commitment and seriousness in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/University unions agreements, ensuring the headship of non-teaching units by non-teaching staff employed for the purpose of those units among others.

Ugwoke said the  issues have been lingering since 2009, after an agreement reached between the federal government and the university based unions.

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