By Correspondent in Minna.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU), Federal University of Technology, (FUT), Minna has called on the federal government to pay the March, 2022 salaries of members without further delay.
Comrade Abubakar Aliyu, the Chairman JAC, FUT, Minna chapter, who made the call in a statement made available to journalists on Monday, said JAC “expects no delay in taking action by the federal government to avoid aggravating federal government, labour related crisis.”
“After its well-attended virtual congress held on Monday, April 11th, 2022, JAC frowned at the decision of the Federal Government to withhold the salaries of the non-teaching staff of Nigerian Universities despite the prevalent harsh economic realities,” he said.
Insisting that the strike action embarked upon by the unions was not only legal but justifiable, Aliyu pleaded with the federal government not to create room for further breach of peace on account of withholding the March, 2022 salaries of members in universities.
He added, “The, no work, no pay rule is inconsequential in the context of the ongoing strike and that is why the federal government should pay us our salaries, because it is our sweat.
“If the government is sincere and had fulfilled its own part of the bargain or contractual agreement, there will be no need for the ongoing industrial strike.The ongoing strike by the unions was as a result of the federal government’s refusal to do the needful.
“If the federal government had effected the payment of the earned allowances, including payment of the consequential minimum wage arrears to members since 2020, there is no way members will not continue their jobs.
“The federal government should therefore rescind its decision on the subject matter,
Other areas, JAC wants the federal government to look into include; provision of conducive learning and working environment, usurpation of non-teaching career positions by Vice Chancellors and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement signed with the unions.
According to Aliyu,the union also wants the federal government to immediately commence dialogue with all university-based unions to avoid prolonging industrial strike action, describing the development as ‘unnecessary’.
He said that initiating and commencing dialogue with all university based unions would make a difference under the prevalent circumstance. “This will be good in the interest of Nigeria and the students who have been at home for more than a month”.
The Reporters recalls that, non-teaching staff announced the commencement of two weeks warning strike on March 27, 2022 by insisting that “no concession should be given in any guise’.
The national JAC further extended the industrial strike action by another two weeks,due to what it described as nonchalant attitude by the federal government to heed to the unions’ demands for improved remunerations.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
