SSANU, NASU extend strike, FG hopeful on ASUU

The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions said the ongoing strike would only be called off when the Federal Government meets members’ demands.

This was contained in a circular addressed to branch chairmen of NASU and SSANU, where the JAC announced the extension of its ongoing strike by two months.

The circular, which was made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday, was titled, ‘Extension of the ongoing strike by additional two months,’ and was signed by the National President of SSANU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU’s General Secretary, Mr Peter Adeyemi.

It read in part, “In view of the fact that the government is still a long way from effectively resolving the issues in contention, it is only expedient that we allow the process to be fully concluded before directing the end of the strike.

“Consequently, you are hereby informed that the strike has been extended by two months, within which we are hoping that all the contentious issues would have been effectively laid to rest. The two-month extension is with effect from Friday, June 24, 2022.

“We urge you to keep up the spirit across the branches as we are slowly inching close to victory.”

It also condemned the non-payment of minimum wage arrears to their members across the Federal Universities of Agriculture, saying there had been no commitment from the government to pay the arrears of Earned Allowances being owed their members.

ASUU strike

Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Wednesday said the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities would soon be called off.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ngige said the Federal Government was engaging with ASUU, despite notions that it has been snubbing the union.

He disclosed that deliberations would resume on Thursday to consider the progress made by the various agencies involved in the months-long negotiations.

Ngige said, “It is not true that nobody is talking to ASUU, we are talking to ASUU. Other unions are accusing us of preferential treatment because these other unions have also claimed that they have developed their own payment platform and that they will not use UTAS even if it is good. And they are putting down in writing and say they have developed their own platform.

“So what the government has done at the last meeting was to say, ‘NITDA, test the three platforms and rate all of them and give us reports.’ Their term expired last Friday, the time they were given. That’s why we’re calling them to come tomorrow (Thursday) and brief us.”

CREDIT: PUNCH