By Gift Habib
Joint Action Committee of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union will begin a 14-day warning strike on Monday.
A statement jointly signed by the National President, SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, and General Secretary, NASU, Peter Adeyemi, said the strike was initiated on the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the payment of salaries and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.
Some other issues mentioned 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.
While addressing journalists after a joint congress on Friday, the branch chairmen of UNILAG chapters of SSANU and NASU, Olusola Sowunmi and Kehinde Ajibade, said they are no longer interested in IPPIS because of the promise government failed to carry out concerning peculiarities of the university system.
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.”
In the same vein, Ajibade 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.”
