Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 Agreements with the unions.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions in a statement in Abuja at the weekend, stated that the warning strike had become necessary to make government take action to fully implement the 2009 FGN/Non-Teaching Staff Unions Agreements it freely entered into with the unions.
A letter to the Minister of Education informing him of the strike was jointly signed by SSANU President, Comrade Samson C. Ugwoke; President of NAAT, Sani Suleiman, and President of NASU, Chris Ani, and copied to the ministers of education, labour and employment, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
“The University system is challenged by poor governance and administrative lapses which need to be addressed holistically. There is poor funding of our universities, shortfall in payment of staff salaries, increasing corruption in the university system,” part of the statement read.
Also listed among the problems that required attention of the government was the problem of inadequate physical infrastructure and abandoned projects which the unions said reduces the capacity and output of their members.
Other areas that the federal government had allegedly neglected were “the problem of lack of adequate teaching and learning facilities which have reduced the productivity of our members and the non-payment of Earned Allowances being product of the 2009 Agreement.”
JAC also mentioned the issue of the Nigerian University Pension Management Commission, (NUPEMCO) to resolve the problem of university staff pensions, the non-implementation of the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgment on university staff schools and the non-implementation of the negotiated career structure for technologists, CONTISS 14 and 15.
Meantime, the Joint Action Committee of the three unions have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over what it described as the “continued industrial unrest at Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Akure: the need for decisive government action concerning the University’s Vice Chancellor.”
In a letter to the President, JAC said arising from issues of serious disagreement between labour unions in the institution and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Gregory Daramola, there had been continuous industrial unrest.
“It is noteworthy that the university has been experiencing serious industrial disharmony since October 6, 2016 as a result of workers demand for the removal of the VC on grounds of alleged corruption and maladministration.
“Sir, it is on record that the Vice Chancellor has a case to answer at the EFCC. He is however, yet to be arraigned. Indeed, the allegation of corruption against the VC is substantial. It is the candid opinion of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU that a government which is bent on fighting corruption in all ramifications should not turn a blind eye under this circumstance.”
The three unions told the president that “the national leadership of the JAC unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU assessed the developments at FUTA and are of the view that it will be viewed that it will be in the interest of justice and industrial harmony that the VC be prosecuted by the relevant government agencies so that normalcy could be restored in the university.”
