By Gabriel Dike  

hope that students of publicly-owned universities would soon return to school has been dimmed with the decision of the  three non-academic staff unions to embark on industrial action.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are on currently on indefinite strike nationwide  over non-implementation of the demands including the 2009 signed agreement between it and the FG. A major aspect of the issues in contention is the non payment of N880 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).

    Preparatory to resumption of strike which was suspended last January, the non-academic staff on the platform of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have mandated the various branches to conduct referendum to ascertain whether to down tools in protest against non-implementation of their demands by the Federal Government.

JAC made up of the leaders of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the NonAcademic Staff Union (NASU) met in Abuja on Wednesday and directed branches to conduct referendum on the impending strike.

SSANU National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abdussobur Salaam confirmed the directive.

According to him, the various branches of SSANU, NASU and NAAT have up to next week Wednesday to submit the outcome of each congress’ referendum.

He confirmed that members nationwide were agitated over the non-implementation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last January 18 when the three unions embarked on warning strike to press home the implementation of the demands.

“We decided to throw back the issues to our members in various branches to take a position. I must let you know that our members in SSANU, NASU and NAAT are agitated seven months after JAC signed the MoU with the Federal Government. JAC gave the various branches up till next week Wednesday to send in the result of the referendum.’’

Deputy Registrar of NASU, Prince Adetunji Ademisoye, confirmed that his leaders held meeting in Abuja with other unions.

SSANU Lagos State University (LASU) branch chairman, Saheed Oseni, also acknowledged receipt of the directive to conduct referendum to determine whether members should embark on strike. He said congress will be summoned on Friday or Monday to take a position.

He disclosed that part of the reasons for the proposed strike was the non-implementation of the National Industrial Court (INC) ruling on university staff school teachers and earned allowance of members.

He debunked insinuations that SSANU was following the footstep of ASUU.

“We were the first union to embark on warning strike this year. We only suspended it. If the referendum gives the order, we will only resume from were we stopped in January 2017,’’ he said..       

NAAT LASU branch chairman, Dr. Ola Gbadamosi, disclosed that local JAC, would meet soon to prepare ground for individual congress.

“The various unions have been directed to conduct congress. LASU JAC will meet on August 29. As at now, we are holding individual exco meetings to plan how to pilot the joint meeting and later congress.

“Yes, I have received the directive to have joint JAC meeting of SSANU, NASU and NAAT LASU branch. Whatever decision our members reached on whether we should join the strike will be determined by all the branches nationwide,’’ he said.    

Part of JAC resolution read: “JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU will be writing the Federal Government to resume the suspended strike over the ten issues and two more.’’

The ten issues in contention are non-payment of earned allowance, lack of good governance, poor funding as against UNESCO recommendation, inadequate infrastructure in universities and abandoned projects, shortfall in payment of salaries.

Others are university staff school, NIC judgment implementation, non-registration of NUPEMCO, non-implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for technologists, problem of lack of adequate teaching and learning facilities in the universities, corruption in the university system, lack of serious in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/university unions agreements and usurpation of headship of non teaching units by academic staff.