Three non-academic unions of Nigerian universities-NASU, SSANU and NAAT, have unanimously declared a strike action, to begin from today Monday December 4, 2017.
The non-teaching varsities staff announced in a press statement that their indefinite industrial action will commence today in public universities.
Recall that the non-teaching staff had gone on a “comprehensive and indefinite strike” action on September 11 and suspended the strike on September 21 after an agreement with the federal government.
Nigerians heaved a temporary sigh of relief when they announced that, “in one month time, we shall be reviewing the level of compliance with the agreement and shall not hesitate to resume the strike action if government reneges on the agreements reached or delays in any aspects,”
The Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, had noted then that both parties produced “collective agreement of action” after the meeting in September, dousing the rising tension in the university system then.
However, the euphoria generated by the earlier statement issued by Sam Ugwoke, the National Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU, SSANU and NAAT on September 21 after the strike was suspended, was no to last; since the unionists, say the government has failed to fulfill any of the agreements reached.
”It is therefore sad to report that over two (2) months after the MoU was signed, the situation that warranted the strike in September remains the same. Nothing has changed,” they said in their statement on Sunday.
This new strike is believed to have been triggered by the sharing formula approved by the federal government for the recently released N23 billion to universities as earned allowance. The non-academic staff believe they were short-changed in the sharing formula.
The ‘earned allowance’ was part of the N220 billion the government pledged to the schools, which is an integral part of a resolution reached to address the last strike embarked on by unions over the non-implementation of previous agreements.
It is in this backdrop, that the three non-academic unions have now resumed the strike action earlier on suspended.
Education Townhall shall be giving you updates on this latest strike boiling in Nigerian varsities. We shall also publish the whole press statement issued by the Joint Action Committee, to resume the strike, in the course of the week..