NASU: We won’t suspend strike until FG meets our demands

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has said there was no plan to suspend its ongoing industrial action, until all demands were met by the Federal Government.

The union also declined another meeting with the Federal Government on the industrial action, saying the first meeting was more on concerns of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The NASU General Secretary of the union, Peters Adeyemi, made this known while speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

NASU members are expected to converge on Tuesday (tomorrow) in Abuja, to discuss on the state of the strike and decide on the next steps.

Adeyemi, who hinted that the Federal Government has begun paying NASU members the arrears of the consequential adjustment of the national minimum, said the payment was not enough for the university lecturers to suspend the ongoing industrial action.

He noted that apart from the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage, no other financial commitment made to the unions has been implemented by the government.

Adeyemi said: “There are seven demands which we have gotten the commitment of the government to implement. There are six outstanding items yet to be acted upon.

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“We cannot be because of the ongoing payment which is yet to be concluded to be talking about suspension of the strike. However, we are consulting with our members.

“A consultation meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday. But it is very naïve and mischievous for anyone to start saying we are planning to suspend the strike.

“I read in a section of the media that reported that we are planning to suspend the strike on Tuesday. Whoever reports that is a paid agent of the Federal Government. Let me use this opportunity to debunk the report.”

He further stressed that NASU could not have on its own taken a unilateral decision to suspend a strike that was being prosecuted under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

“There are four unions in the universities and inter-university centres that are involved in this struggle. How can any reporter claim that NASU is meeting to suspend the strike?

“There is no way NASU can suspend the strike when SSANU is clamouring for an extension of the strike by another one month to allow the government to address our grievances,” Adeyemi stated.

The Star