The Joint Action Committee has instructed the branches of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) to convene joint congresses on January 19 to take a resolution on the possible commencement of an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the unions by the Federal Government last October.
The committee in a circular on Thursday, issued after a meeting that reviewed the three-day nationwide protests by the unions commended the members for effectively prosecuting the rallies across the country.
In the statement titled, ‘Request for branch resolutions,’ co-signed by the NASU and SSANU Presidents, Dr Makolo Hassan and Mohammed Ibrahim, the JAC said the resolution of the congresses should be forwarded to the National Secretariats of the respective unions via email.
It explained that a meeting of the JAC leadership would be convened next Thursday to collate and make a decision on the branch resolutions which would be communicated to the branches, subsequently.
The directive read, “The National JAC further observed the need for members of the unions (NASU and SSANU) to take ownership of subsequent decisions in respect of the way forward after the nationwide protests.
“To this end, Branch Chairmen of NASU and SSANU are hereby directed to convene joint congresses simultaneously on Tuesday 19th, January 2021 to take a resolution on the possible commencement of an indefinite and total national strike in respect of non-implementation of the issues contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed and agreed with the unions by the Federal Government on 20th October 2020.”
Recall that the unions were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, sharing formula of the N40bn earned academic allowances and non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage.
They protested the inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, non-payment of retirement benefits to former members, non-constitution of visitation panels to universities, poor funding of universities, teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units, among others.
