Here is the Latest News On NASU, SSANU Strike Update as at Thursday, August 11th, 2022.
The ongoing industrial action has been extended by two months by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU).
On April 21, 2022, university non-teaching personnel went on strike to force the implementation of their demands. JAC extended the strike by one month on May 23rd.
The National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, stated in a June 21st circular to branch chairmen of SSANU and NASU that the negotiations with the delegation from the federal government are still ongoing but moving incredibly slowly.
The SSANU and NASU members were praised by the union leaders for their continued adherence to the National Executive Council’s (NEC) directive regarding the ongoing industrial action, emphasizing that “the compliance of members, even in the face of the denial of our salaries, threats and harassment, has continued to give the national leadership the needed strength and focus to forge ahead on our demands.”
JAC claims that the SSANU and NASU members’ tenacity was responsible for the success seen in the payment of the minimum wage consequential adjustment arrears, from which members of the university system benefited.
Few members from various branches and from the Federal Universities of Agriculture have not yet received payment, the leaders remarked, adding, “JAC is not resting on its oars.”
Adeyemi and Ibarhim agreed to carry out the agreement made with the government at the tripartite meeting held on May 20, 2022, to test the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS) software, which will be used by SSANU and NASU to test their new wage platform (NITDA).
While there hasn’t been a final assessment, JAC said that the three payment solutions —U3UP, UTAS, and IPPIS —had been put through tests over the past three weeks and that “our presentations have been outstanding and impressive.”
There is no need to worry about being excluded by any group inside the system, the NASU scribe and SSANU president informed members, as the U3PS has been designed to accommodate all salary tables and allowances in existence in the university system.
JAC claims that the two unions have been successful in restoring Responsibility Allowance to worthy SSANU and NASU members as well as correcting the paperwork to increase the payment of Hazard Allowance from N180, 000 to N360, 000 per year to SSANU members.
Adeyemi and Ibrahim noted that the government has not expressed a willingness to make good on its promise to pay the arrears of Earned Allowances owed to non-teaching workers.
JAC said: “In view of the fact that government is still a long way from effectively resolving the issues in contention, it is only expedient that we allow the process to be fully concluded before directing the end of the strike.
“Consequently, you are hereby informed that the strike has been extended by two months, within which we are hoping that all the contentious issues would have been effectively laid to rest. The two months extension is with effect from Friday, 24th June 2022.
“We urge you to keep up the spirit across the branches as we are slowly inching close to victory. We also urge you to disregard various rumours and misinformation especially on social media and rely on your national leaders who are ever willing to give factual and true information on the status of the struggle.”
