The Federal Government has asked members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and its other counter-parts, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) not to go ahead with their planned strike which is expected to have commenced by midnight.
Edu-Biznews recalled that the three non-academic staff unions in the Nigeria's university system had given the Federal Government up till February 5, which lapsed last Friday night, to resolve all labour issues, particularly ensuring a workable sharing formular for the N40billion Earned Allowances and address the irregularities observed using the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System(IPPIS) as payment platform or they will embark on indefinite strike.
But the Labour and Employment Minister , Dr. Chris Ngige, addressing State House Correspondents on Friday, shortly after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said going ahead with the planned strike would run contrary to the International Labour Organisation’s statute on social dialogue and principles at work.
Ngige explained that government had moved to apprehend the Industrial action,after being notified by SSANU and NASU of the planned strike by the Joint Action Committee of the unions
The minister stressed the need to stop the Industrial action, considering the fact that the country had just come out of a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which lasted nine months.
His words, “In consonance with the labour laws, we have apprehended both strikes. They gave us trade dispute notice, we scheduled meetings with them after apprehension, we held a meeting with NASU and SSANU last week Tuesday and government’s position was explained to them".
According to him,“They have a lot of issues mentioned as their grouse, issues like IPPIS. They said IPPIS had amputated some of their allowances, they also have the issue of consequential adjustment that was paid to all civil servants as a result of the new minimum wage of N30,000 for staff above Grade Level One, that is starting from Grade Level Two up to Level 17.”
SSANU President, Mohammed Haruna, responding, insisted on the Industrial action while dismissing Ngige’s objections to the strike.
Haruna expressed concern over the failure of the minister to admit the breach of the various agreements signed with the unions by the government
“So, their refusal to fulfil the agreements that we signed and the violations of the MoUs that had a timeline was not a violation of the ILO statutes? When you are looking at one side of the coin, that is when you have problems"he added
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