Strike: FG Meets SSANU, Others Today

In a bid to stop the proposed strike action by the three major non-teaching staff unions of Nigerian public universities expected to commence today, the federal government has called for a meeting with the leadership of the three unions.


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

The meeting is slated for 3pm today, according to the deputy director of information at the ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Samuel Olowokere.

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 today.

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, explained reasons for their decisions. 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 said, listed the following reasons for its decision to embark on strike 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.

He accused the government of reneging on the agreements reached with the union, while stressing that their patience has run out.