Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities,SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union,NASU will begin a 14-day warning strike from October 5 to October 19, 2020.
Samson Ugwoke, National President, SSANU, and Peter Adeyemi, General Secretary, NASU, jointly signed a statement, which stated that the strike was a result of the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the payment of salaries and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.
Other matters declared in the statement were, ‘non-payment of national minimum wage and retirement benefits to our members. The delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU Agreements, as well as the non-payment of benefits to retired members, teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units and neglect and poor funding of state universities.’
‘Please note that this warning strike is a prelude to a full blown total and indefinite industrial action if the grievances highlighted above are not properly addressed,’ the statement added.
Olusola Sowunmi and Kehinde Ajibade, the branch chairmen of UNILAG chapters of SSANU and NASU, addressed journalists after a joint conference in front of the University of Lagos Senate building on Friday. They stated that they were not accepting the IPPIS as a result of the failure of the government to take care of the peculiarities of the university system.
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Sowunmi said, ‘We are disappointed with the turnout of things. The IPPIS failed to meet our expectations and our retired members are not being paid as and when due. Also, we are not being paid the new minimum wage that other agencies of government have been enjoying. The new wage is a matter of law as it was an act of parliament.’
Ajibade seconded Sowunmi by stating that if the government could have the means to pay other workers the new minimum wage, it shouldn’t be a big issue to pay them.
He said, ‘Just as the government has given schools notice of resumption, our national leadership also gave us the notice to announce this warning strike over a month ago. After the two weeks, if nothing is done to address our concerns, we will meet and deliberate on the next line of action.’
Peace Omenka